Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini touched on the qualities of Orlando City linked Luis Muriel and the growth of Milan loanee Charles De Ketelaere ahead of the match with Genoa.
La Dea currently sit fourth place in the Serie A table heading into their clash with Alberto Gilardino’s side, sitting three points clear of Bologna and one clear of Roma, although they have a game in hand. They haven’t taken part for the Champions League since the 2021-22 campaign.
One of the key figures of Atalanta’s season so far has been De Ketelaere, who joined from Milan last summer on a €3m loan deal with a €26m total buy option attached. The Belgian talent has scored nine goals and provided seven assists across 26 games this campaign.
Speaking in a press conference via TMW, Gasperini first discussed the qualities of Gilardino’s Genoa.
“They are a team that have grown a lot, they could also aspire to play in Europe, who knows. The consistency of the team is surprising, they have a great enthusiasm that surrounds them, this gives value when they play at home, they are already preparing the party for us.
“At the moment they’re an incredible example given the enthusiasm there is, for us they’re a great test, we play in a difficult stadium, then we will go and play San Siro, we will play in difficult stadiums in Europe too, tomorrow will be a great test of maturity.”
He was asked if his team were similar to the first Atalanta side that broke into the Champions League.
“They are two different teams, but both try to get results through play. When a team are able to score goals then they are able to win matches. However, they are teams with different characteristics.”
The Atalanta coach commented on the qualities of Orlando City linked Muriel.
“Many say that Atalanta haven’t won anything, but when you remain in the fans’ memory you become almost immortal.
“Sometimes there are Scudetti in which you struggle to remember who played, in Atalanta the memory of Muriel will always remain period. The goal against Milan is worth more than trophies.”
He spoke about the wider strengths of his Atalanta squad.
“We have grown on self-esteem and consideration, on trust, we have grown compared to the first match in scoring goals, we know how to keep the pitch well.
“It has given us push, everyone has grown, not only De Ketelaere, but also Miranchuk, Scalvini, Carnesecchi and many other players.”
Finally, Gasperini discussed De Ketelaere’s growth this season.
“Everyone can always give more, there is never a limit to setting the bar high. There is a lot of talk about him, but in my opinion, he still needs a lot of confirmation, what he is doing is very important and positive, but to reach a reliable standard, a few games are not enough.”