Spezia coach Thiago Motta explained the international break has helped the Aquilotti ‘recover some players’ ahead of the big game against Atalanta in Serie A.
The big teams have been without their key players during the international break and some of them are returning to club level with physical problems.
But Thiago Motta has been helped by the short break in the busy schedule and said he looks positively on the situation ahead of the game against La Dea.
“I take everything as a positive,” Motta said at a press conference. “We have recovered some players that we haven’t had in the group for a while.
“The national players have played and I’m happy, those who didn’t play did something different while resting. Today, they all returned, and I found them all in shape.”
Spezia climbed to 16th in the table with a 1-0 win over Torino before the break and aim to build on the positive result against Ivan Juric’s side.
“You work better with wins, we work for that, and we try to do our best all the time, with commitment and humility,” the former midfielder added.
“We have a series of interesting games to play, and the morale and confidence are important aspects. Many players are rediscovering their form. Playing games is what counts and what puts them in the right conditions. I’m happy with what I have available.”
Atalanta have a history of struggling a bit after the national breaks, but Thiago Motta has no illusions ahead of the game against Gian Piero Gasperini’s men.
“How do you face a match against a great team, who also played on par with Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United,” he said. “We will approach the game as we always do, with respect and by trying to do our best with commitment and humility.
“Let’s see what happens.”