It’s the eve of Atalanta-Bologna, and it’s the coach Gian Piero Gasperini who introduces the game, like on every pre-match. Atalanta start off with a certainty: for the third time in four seasons, the team will finish in the Top 4 of the Serie A TIM.
Here is the interview with the Nerazzurri coach.
Gian Piero Gasperini, it’s the last two weeks, the last four matches of the league with a certainty: for the third time in four seasons, Atalanta are in the top 4 of Serie A.
“That’s a great result. We’re extremely happy and proud of this, as it comes with four remaining games. It was more fought in the last years. This is a sign of a continuity of results, of a team that have grown over the years and who confirm themselves on high levels in Italy. This result didn’t come casually, therefore the satisfaction is higher”.
Incitement with Gasperini never fails to exist: four games to go, new targets, new records to break.
“Sure. In this season we have set new records for this club, also some important ones in the league, like the number of goals. We’ll try to do our best, as I already said many times, we’ll play the matches remaining as a preparation for the Champions League, but above all for our satisfaction, as these seasons must be finished in the best possible way”.
Bologna, Milan, Parma and Inter to further improve your position on the table. These all will be important matches, against teams that have their goals to reach.
“The fixture list shows tough matches ahead, we see it on these matchdays, it’s the same almost for everybody. Every game has its own traps, difficulties. We did very well, as we won 7 games and drew 2, despite leading both in Turin and in Verona. Let’s try to keep this up. We take every game seriously, carefully. Playing with this frequency creates problems for everybody, but we’re all on the same level on this. Tomorrow’s match against Bologna will be very important for us to keep this run up”.
Bologna come into the game with great desire to fight back, as things didn’t go very well for them against Milan.
“This is normal when playing this frequently, sometimes it’s luck, when you lose and you can play immediately a few days later. When you win, you’d like to have some more time to taste the victory. It’s okay. Now we know that there are 11 days to the end of the league and the next matches are all important, which we’ll face in the best possible way”.
You’ll go back to playing at night, at 19.30 CEST, 17.15 CEST is a rather special time, you felt the heat on Saturday.
“Yes, it’s normal when playing in the sun, it’s more demanding. I liked the squad on Saturday. They played a great match, even watching it again. They had many chances to win the match. You can’t always have the same sharpness and freshness as when playing at night. It’s a good result, a draw against a team that were in great shape. We showed that we’re in a good moment even on Saturday”.
How is Gian Piero Gasperini doing? It’s a tour de force for the coaches as well.
“It’s a well-tough tour de force also for us coaches, there are times when I say that I get tired while I see them run. Indeed, these guys, all of them, not only mine, all the footballers of Serie A are subjected to difficulties that are not easy to get used to. There have always been commendable behaviours by all the teams, we must say that, as the credit belongs to these guys that have faced a difficult moment, for everything that’s happened. I think they’ve been a good example for football and all the athletes that followed us”.
Coach, can you see all the matches? You play every three days, but games are every day. Will you watch the Juventus-Lazio match tonight, for instance?
“I can watch it tonight. We’re often travelling, therefore we can’t watch other games, except for the highlights, maybe we can watch some of the opponent’s we are going to meet. We struggle to watch ours. Times are tight. I have to say that we all sleep very little, but this is the anomaly of the moment”.
