Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini underlined how his side ‘will definitely try’ to upset Inter in their trip to San Siro on Wednesday evening.
La Dea have been in strong form under the experienced Italian tactician in recent weeks, not suffering defeat in their last seven consecutive Serie A matches. They’ve also won five of their last six games, only drawing Milan in a tense 1-1 duel on the weekend.
Inter have been shining under Simone Inzaghi this term and look on track to lift their 20th ever Scudetto, having lost just one game in 25 league outings this season. In the first half of the season, the Nerazzurri edged out a 2-1 win over Atalanta.
Speaking in a press conference via Calciomercato.com, Gasperini first discussed Atalanta’s desire to upset Inter in their own backyard.
“Our sharpness is missing against Inter. It’s the only place where we haven’t managed to win yet, we’ll definitely try!
“I hope we can create problems for them, as they are doing something extraordinary with quality play. Tomorrow the table will be final as it’s a catch-up game, we have little to lose, and it can be very favourable.”
He reflected on la Dea’s recent tense draw with Milan.
“The value of the point is important, Bologna are within range and there’s a match to recover. The performance was difficult but to be appreciated precisely for this reason. There was a lot of quality in defence.
“The game was a missed opportunity. We have to forget it anyway and move on to the next one. Football is constantly evolving, it’s never static, it’s not a question of numbers but evolutions and measures, the participation of goalkeepers and defenders is noticeable.
“The next moves will have to be made by the attackers who are struggling to be as dynamic as the defenders at the moment.”
The Atalanta coach touched on the work of Gianluca Scamacca.
“He is a boy who behaves very well, works a lot, is positive, the only problem is considering him a great champion, he works to try to become one like many do, he has had excellent games and excellent matches.”
Gasperini reflected on the penalty incident with Milan.
“I have already expressed my opinion on the rules, I don’t like it, but I’ve always not liked it, I haven’t change my opinion depending on my advantage.
“I don’t like these stops from VAR, with handballs and big dives, then it happens against Milan, and this comes out but about 10 have happened for months.
“On Sunday there were Irrati and Orsato, better than that! Two of the best ever in a firm voice evaluated the rules.”
He spoke highly about the qualities of Inter.
“Inter are a complete team in every way, Inzaghi did a wonderful job, few times have they been seen with this quality, it’s something almost unique, they do it in Italy, in Europe, in the first leg we did a excellent match. It was balanced, we can repeat ourselves.”
He explained why Charles De Ketelaere was brought off against the Rossoneri and the work of El Bilal Toure.
“Technical choice. I don’t think he felt the pressure of the Milan stadium, in the previous Coppa Italia match against Milan he did very well. The players are not machines, it’s not easy to play three matches in a week.
“I don’t have a thermometer to measure the level of their recovery, as there is nothing scientific about it, you rely a lot on feelings. And then you have five changes to be able to remedy this in case, but it is difficult to establish a hierarchy.
“Touré is training, improving his position, when we have time to insert him, we will insert him, now the matches count a lot, and we cannot experiment.”
Finally, Gasperini discussed the race for a top four finish.
“Let’s just look at our progress and matches, it’s an open season, I don’t even know when the calculations will be able to be made and if they can be done.”