Atalanta Coach Gian Piero Gasperini is happy to be "up there with the big teams" after defeating Udinese 3-1. “I can’t remember the last time the table was so tight.”
La Dea now command an enviable joint-sixth place in Serie A, and are trailing fourth-placed Lazio and Milan by only one point.
“Now we're aiming for the Scudetto!” joked Gasperini after the game, in an interview with Sky Sport.
Atalanta Coach Gian Piero Gasperini is happy to be "up there with the big teams" after defeating Udinese 3-1. “I can’t remember the last time the table was so tight.”
La Dea now command an enviable joint-sixth place in Serie A, and are trailing fourth-placed Lazio and Milan by only one point.
“Now we're aiming for the Scudetto!” joked Gasperini after the game, in an interview with Sky Sport.
“We're up there with the big teams, everyone can challenge for a spot in the Europa League and maybe even for fourth place.
“It's a really open championship, I can't remember the last time the standings were so tight. And we're just fine with that, we have wide margins for improvement and we can develop even more as the season continues.”
Duvan Zapata scored his first ever Serie A hat-trick, although he didn’t celebrate against his former club.
“If he can convert his chances the way he did today, winning games becomes a lot easier. He's enjoying a good moment, he did really well against Napoli too. His condition is great and he represents an extra resource for us.”
The tactician was also asked how his team was able to keep up such strong performances.
“This year our performances were always excellent, we showed character and confidence. We've been a bit slow to execute at times, but we always had the right concepts in mind.
“A few of the injuries really affected us, but we're recovering everyone gradually. True, earlier in the season we struggled to find a replacement for [Bryan] Cristante, and in some of the games we couldn't carve our path to the goal.
“Then we pushed our wingers higher up on the pitch, and that was the right solution.
“We've had a core of players here for several years, particularly in the central midfield and the defence. These concepts emerged out of their game.
“[Rafael] Toloi was extraordinary today, he found a fantastic level of confidence in his way of playing.”