Gian Piero Gasperini admits Milan, Inter and Napoli have ‘something more’ than La Dea ahead of their Serie A meeting with Simone Inzaghi’s side.
It kicks off at 17.00 UK time at the Stadio Meazza on Saturday.
Atalanta have collected 10 points from five Serie A games so far and visit the Stadio Meazza tomorrow.
La Dea has earned a top-four finish over the last three seasons, but Gasperini admits they are still not ready to fight for the Scudetto.
“Inter, Milan and Napoli have something more [than us] it’s useless to keep looking at the Scudetto. Torino and Fiorentina are on the same level as us,” the coach said at a press conference as quoted by Calciomercato.com.
Simone Inzaghi’s side have collected just three points more than La Dea and seem not to miss their former striker Romelu Lukaku who returned to Chelsea in a €115m deal in the summer.
Inter ahead of Napoli and Chelsea for different goal scorers
Inter have already scored 18 goals with 11 different scorers this season. No other club in Europe has more different goal scorers.
“Inter got off to a good start, despite the sales, Lukaku was a sure reference of the team, before, they used to work a little less building the attack, relying more on him,” Gasperini said.
“Inter were extraordinary last year. Effective and strong, Many thought they would be affected by Lukaku’s sale, but they are finding different solutions.
“I think we played a great game against Sassuolo. We’ve never had problems regarding intensity, but about quality and technique. We always aim to improve and we must think that this is a new season, focusing on one game at a time,” the 63-year-old continued.
“Tomorrow, we’ll play with our characteristics. Inter have many solutions and we must try to limit them. These are all open games where both teams are capable of scoring.”
When will Luis Muriel return to action?
“Surely not tomorrow. Let’s see if he will be able to come on the bench in the Champions League. However, we are optimistic about his return against Milan.”
La Dea host Young Boys at the Gewiss Stadium on Wednesday, September 29, before their home clash against Milan on Sunday, October 3.
#Gasperini: 'Inter, Milan e Napoli hanno qualcosa in più. Zapata legato solo all'Atalanta, sul recupero di Muriel…' https://t.co/oBcMbiOgwL pic.twitter.com/pch3i8gkvH
— calciomercato.com (@cmdotcom) September 24, 2021