Gian Piero Gasperini is proud of Atalanta after their ‘deserved’ 1-0 win over Juventus and explains when he decided to switch to a 4-2-3-1 system.
La Dea won their first home game against the Old Lady in the last 20 years thanks to a late Ruslan Malinovskyj’s goal.
Gian Piero Gasperini is proud of Atalanta after their ‘deserved’ 1-0 win over Juventus and explains when he decided to switch to a 4-2-3-1 system.
La Dea won their first home game against the Old Lady in the last 20 years thanks to a late Ruslan Malinovskyj’s goal.
“This win means we can beat them. I want to praise the lads because we beat a strong team. Juventus remain a powerful side. We suffered a little bit, but the victory is justified, and we are proud of it,” Gasperini told Sky Sport Italia.
“We were without [Hans] Hateboer and [Cristian] Romero, who’s been essential for us, especially when we play with a four-man defence.
“We had prepared the game thinking about the whole 90 minutes. We knew the game could be decided in the final minutes and that subs could have been crucial.
“It was a difficult game for our strikers and we had to be compact at the back. Juventus have some great players like [Alvaro] Morata and [Weston] McKennie who can run into open spaces.
“We are strong in the defensive phase, don’t forget we played 75 minutes down to ten-man against Real Madrid. Today we kept the balance in a challenging game. We had a few more chances than them,” the coach added.
Have Atalanta secured themselves a top-four finish thanks to today’s win?
“It’s still early. Seven games are remaining until the end of the season. This win is important, but the path is still long. There are many clubs in the race for a top-four finish,” Gasperini said.
When did he think about his new 4-2-3-1 system?
“It was a natural evolution and I must thank my players for their attitude. It’s a process that has evolved in time.
“I thought about it during some games this season, but it’s something I was also considering last term, when we had scored 99 goals in Serie A.
“This season, we struggled a little bit sometimes, I remember the games against Genoa and Udinese when we couldn’t break the deadlock.
“Then the players’ characteristics can make the difference too, and many of them can play behind a sole striker.”