Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini explains how he got the best out of Gianluca Scamacca and Ademola Lookman. ‘I don’t transform anyone, I just bring out what was inside them.’
The coach has shown time and time again over the years that he is able to revitalise careers and launch talents into the football world.
His latest projects are forwards who had potential, but struggled badly at their previous clubs only to become decisive in Atalanta’s Europa League triumph.
“The secret is that they are talented. I don’t transform anyone, I cannot add anything, I just bring out what was inside them,” Gasperini told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“They become strong if they were already strong. Work on their mentality is fundamental, you have to be convincing to players. It might take months, but it unlocks something.”
It certainly worked with Lookman, who scored a sensational hat-trick in the Europa League Final against Bayer Leverkusen.
“Lookman is a top player today, but he wasn’t before. He was strong, but tended to light up in flashes and at other times would disappear from the game. He was the same in training sessions.
“I worked with him using the patience of an artisan craftsman. What he did in the last few weeks feels like his maturity. He wants the ball, participates in the game, works with his teammates.”
Scamacca and Lookman revitalised by Gasperini
Along with Lookman, another forward who always had potential that never seemed to be expressed was Scamacca, and he took a while to fully emerge with Atalanta too.
“He always put the work in, but the key moment was when he shook off the ridiculous pressure that was on his shoulders. Every game he felt as if he had to prove he was a great player. He never smiled, he got furious at every error.
“I think it clicked when he didn’t get called up to the Italy squad. It wasn’t about goals, but his performance and his dynamism. In those 10 days of training, we found the key.”
Scamacca was sorely missed in the Coppa Italia Final defeat to Juventus and this is an area where Gasperini wants to improve Atalanta.
“If you play 55 games, you need alternatives, as we saw against Juve without Scamacca. El Bilal Toure is not a centre-forward. Defence stops you losing, but the attack wins you games. If I win 22 matches and lose 10, that’s fine with me.”