Josip Ilicic admits he’s never worked so hard as with Atalanta, but it’s paying off, even if he feels bad for fellow Slovenian Jasmin Kurtic.
The former Palermo and Fiorentina midfielder has found a new lease of life in Bergamo this season.
“I was really not accustomed to that and it was tough to deal with,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport of Gian Piero Gasperini’s summer training camp.
“However, I am reaping the rewards of that labour now. My legs are going at full speed.”
Josip Ilicic admits he’s never worked so hard as with Atalanta, but it’s paying off, even if he feels bad for fellow Slovenian Jasmin Kurtic.
The former Palermo and Fiorentina midfielder has found a new lease of life in Bergamo this season.
“I was really not accustomed to that and it was tough to deal with,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport of Gian Piero Gasperini’s summer training camp.
“However, I am reaping the rewards of that labour now. My legs are going at full speed.”
Atalanta had to start the season strong, as they were in the Europa League for the first time in almost 30 years, yet are top of their group ahead of Olympique Lyonnais, Apollon Limassol and Everton.
“When I saw the group, I warned my teammates we had to come flying out the blocks. They listened. Now we need to finish the job against Everton.
“I’ve been above all impressed with the way Atalanta work with young players here, as the organisation is phenomenal. I wish I’d been at a club like this when I was young…
“I do think I came to Italy a little late in my career. When I went from Maribor to Palermo, I didn’t feel mentally ready and my mind wasn’t in the right place. I did some crazy things when I was 18. I dived off a cliff 15 metres up and I am fortunate enough to be here talking to you about it today. If I saw one of my kids doing that, I’d kill myself!”
While Atalanta are impressing in Europe, their performances domestically have suffered.
“In Serie A, we struggle against sides who clam up and defend. We also don’t know how to control a match when we’ve taken the lead, as we want to win 3-0 or 4-0 and end up conceding on the counter, such as against SPAL or Sampdoria.
“We’ve got the quality to fight it out with anyone, starting from Inter next Sunday. I scored my first Serie A goal against Inter, and it was just after they won the Treble. It felt like a dream when I saw Samuel Eto’o and his teammates walk past me before kick-off.
“Inter are doing well now and a lot of the credit goes to Luciano Spalletti, as the players are more or less the same as last season, but the results certainly are not.
“I remember facing Roberto Mancini’s Inter when they were top of the table, but they never gave me the impression of having the right mentality. The current Inter squad is more solid and seems more of a team.”
Ilicic certainly knows Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic very well, as they are both Slovenia internationals.
“Samir is a great goalkeeper and often makes the difference. Him, his cousin Jasmin and Jan Oblak prove that Slovenia has some great shot-stoppers.
“Unfortunately, we haven’t qualified for the World Cup. If we had, I would’ve retired from international duty after that tournament.”
There is another Slovenian in the Atalanta squad who made way for Ilicic: Jasmin Kurtic.
“Jasmin is a friend and a great player, but the Coach makes his decisions. If I had known that by coming here I would’ve taken Kurtic’s place, I probably would not have accepted the transfer.”