Gian Piero Gasperini holds his hands up and admits Dinamo Zagreb “gave us a beating, but it’ll teach Atalanta important lessons” about the Champions League.
The dream went to nightmare with a 4-0 hammering in Croatia, as the Orobici were crushed in their first ever Champions League match.
Gian Piero Gasperini holds his hands up and admits Dinamo Zagreb “gave us a beating, but it’ll teach Atalanta important lessons” about the Champions League.
The dream went to nightmare with a 4-0 hammering in Croatia, as the Orobici were crushed in their first ever Champions League match.
“Dinamo Zagreb were better at winning back the ball, at pressing, in their intensity, their pace. They go faster in every respect. They also showed a lot of quality passing it in tight spaces,” the Coach told Sky Sport Italia.
“The second half was certainly more balanced, we had our chances, but these are games that teach you important lessons. We have to learn from it and put the results into practice going forward.
“We are a team that suddenly arrived at the highest level, it was a tough first impact, but in these situations you have to learn and mature, otherwise there’s no point playing in the Champions League.
“I told my players much the same thing I’m telling you. Tonight, Dinamo Zagreb gave us a beating in every way. Now we have to learn to play with more quality, more pace, moving the ball quicker.
“It had never happened to us before playing in a competitive game with the opposition out-running us.”
Was this the biggest disappointment of Gasperini’s Atalanta career?
“I found myself 3-0 down on my debut, so… It is disappointing, we could’ve scored a goal or two in the second half, but the fact remains Zagreb’s total domination was never in doubt.”