Gian Piero Gasperini refused to talk about the Papu Gomez situation, focusing Atalanta’s attention on Roma. ‘They are one of the big clubs.’
It kicks off on Sunday at 17.00 GMT, click here for a match preview.
“We’re up against a Parma side in great shape that is scoring lots of goals and found their feet, having already been a quality team last season. They are one of the big clubs,” said Gasp in his press conference.
Gian Piero Gasperini refused to talk about the Papu Gomez situation, focusing Atalanta’s attention on Roma. ‘They are one of the big clubs.’
It kicks off on Sunday at 17.00 GMT, click here for a match preview.
“We’re up against a Parma side in great shape that is scoring lots of goals and found their feet, having already been a quality team last season. They are one of the big clubs,” said Gasp in his press conference.
“This clash comes at a time when the top teams are giving their best and it’s going to be very interesting and exciting. These are two sides who are eager to do well.
“Paulo Fonseca did a great job last season too and you can tell now he has a more consolidated understanding of Serie A. We know each other well on a tactical level and our performances have always been good, even if sometimes errors cost us, for example in the first half against Juventus.”
Atalanta have adapted to be less all-attack and more balanced in defence, changes made after the 5-0 Champions League home defeat to Liverpool.
“What matters is the result, so it’s the same thing whether you win 4-2 or 1-0. After the drubbing by Liverpool, it was fundamental that we find a different situation. We need a long run of positive results.”
Inevitably, the questions strayed onto the matter of captain Gomez and his row with Gasperini, having been left on the bench against Juventus and possibly sold in January.
“If we want to talk about football, then fine,” was the coach’s response. “We’ve been talking about this for days, but there’s an important match tomorrow and we have to keep our focus on that. As far as I’m concerned, there are several captains in the squad, including Marten de Roon, Remo Freuler and Rafael Toloi. Every team needs more than one captain.
“I do not control what is written or said outside this team, what interests me is that when we are on the pitch or at the training ground, everyone must respect the rules of the club. We need to all have the same attitude.”
Mario Pasalic, Mattia Caldara and Matteo Ruggeri are still out of action, while Josip Ilicic “trained well and has overcome” the throat infection that kept him out against Juventus.
“Aleksei Miranchuk has quality, he’s a player who can provide the final ball more than play upfront, so we have to discover his characteristics and how to make them useful to the team.”
Atalanta are familiar to Roma, as there are four players who made the move from Bergamo to the Capital and could play tomorrow.
“Leonardo Spinazzola is doing even better than previous seasons, he’s in incredible form. I’ll be honest, we were all a bit disappointed with Roger Ibanez, as he could’ve been an important player for us, but he didn’t have enough experience of Italian football. That’s why we went for Cristian Romero, but we knew Ibanez would show his quality in the long run.”