Gian Piero Gasperini concedes Atalanta ‘had the game in hand and yet we risked losing it’ in a 3-3 draw with Young Boys, putting their Champions League progress in doubt.
La Dea have now fumbled nine points from leading situations in five Champions League games this season, many of them in stoppages.
Champions League | Young Boys 3-3 Atalanta: Dea give it away
They risked it being 10 this evening, as after Luis Muriel equalised with his first touch, Juan Musso made a decisive save with the last kick of the game.
“We were leading twice, we conceded on a corner and a throw-in, had threatened the third goal many times. We lost concentration and intensity in the second half, giving Young Boys reason to feel confident and their home fans helped them believe too.
“It was a game we seemed to have in hand and yet we risked losing it,” Gasperini told Sky Sport Italia.
“This is a different playing surface that might fatigue muscles in a different way, but I think even Lionel Messi generally won’t show his technique and quality on an artificial pitch. We had done very well for long periods, but I am old-fashioned, I love playing football on grass.”
Manchester United have now won the group, whereas Atalanta need to beat Villarreal in the final match in Bergamo to be sure of reaching the Round of 16.
“I would’ve preferred having the option of two results, but here we are, we need the win and that is our objective. Villarreal are a very good team, we need a great performance to win it.
“Having said that, we’d have been very glad starting the group to reach the final game in this situation.”
Atalanta went through a period of struggling to find the net, but now they have gone back to the old issue of leaking goals.
“We have resumed scoring goals, but we need to rediscover our concentration in defence, because we give away opportunities and goals far too often now. We can certainly do more.”
Davide Zappacosta went off just before half-time with a sprained ankle and it did not look reassuring.
“His ankle turned really badly, we’ll see tomorrow. He’s in a lot of pain. It’s difficult to predict how long he’ll be out for, but this weekend frankly is unlikely.”
Good luck to Atalanta but it will be very hard to beat Villareal. Looks like another slim year for Italian teams in Europe.
Instead of truly strengthening, Serie a sides competing in Europe go through losing players, trying to replace them, and then pretty much starting again every summer. There’s no continuity. In addition to losing players, Atalanta have had injury issues all season. The strength in depth just isn’t there to cope.
Inter lost Lukaku and Hakimi – scramble to get them replaced, but it isn’t like you can find like for like replacements. Sooner or later, if you’re a selling league, standards continue to drop. Atalanta have been competing at the top table for a few seasons, but lose Romero to a club who aren’t even in the champ league. Why? Simply can’t compete financially. Milan went to Anfield with critical players missing. Tonight the teams to play atleti missing first choice keeper, centre back, right back and right winger. Add to that, Leao isn’t fully fit either. How do you compete when just one of Atleti’s players cost nearly as much as Milan’s entire wage bill?
Rosario – that argument is true, but this was against young boys not manu or athleti. This draw is as much about the philosophy of Atalanta as anything else. Atalanta might as well have an empty net and bring on an extra attacker, would be pretty much the same.
Gasperini doesn’t know how to close out games. What’s the point of scoring all those goals if you’re not going to change approach and manage the lead to victory in the last twenty minutes?
@Frys.
I completely understand where you’re coming from, but it isn’t always easy to look at just one game on its own merit. Teams playing 3 times a week – you’ll find it difficult managing fitness and sharpness levels, when you don’t have strength in depth. For example – without Goesens and Hateboer, it is almost a totally different atalanta side. Look at man utd. Shaw wasn’t in the team last night. Instead they started telles who cost man utd 16 million. Atalanta don’t have the luxury of expensive players warming the bench, and to only play when the first team left back isn’t available.
come on guys we have done this before! in 2019/20 we qualified against all the odds despite being ravaged by injuries and being away from home. in 2020/21 we managed to qualify despite a rift between Papu and Gasp. This time we will definitely beat the 12th best team in La Liga at home.