by Fabio Gennari
We start from 0-0, two games are played and the first will be in a complicated context. Very complicated. Tomorrow evening (2 May) there will be the first leg match against the French side Marseille and against Atalanta Gasperini, protagonist of a sensational season so far, the biggest danger is the belief that the double match won against Liverpool brings some advantages. Let the 3-0 at Anfield weigh on the result to be achieved against Marseille. May those 180 minutes that will forever remain in the history of the Goddess make a difference.
The awareness, fortitude and energy that a passage to the Europa League gives you is important. They help. But they don’t score. And now that the opponent has changed and there is a new round to face, it is clear that we need to be strong and start again from scratch. With 0-0 on the scoreboard and two games ahead, at least one to win.
The semi-final against Marseille will not be against an opponent comparable to Liverpool in terms of the values on the pitch, but the French have reached the penultimate act of the competition and deserve great, great respect.
We say all this more for the external environment than for the group, in Zingonia there are high level professionals who are perfectly aware that it will be tough. Maybe among the fans there is someone convinced that once Liverpool are eliminated, Marseille will be easier. The pitch will give its verdict within a few days, but now the only thing that matters is playing as Atalanta. As we have seen her do many times. Without fear, starting from 0-0 and thinking that the match against Liverpool now only counts for history. Not because of what still needs to be done.
