The spell is broken. Gian Piero Gasperini raises his first trophy to the sky, a fitting tribute to an extraordinary work that goes back in time. He forged European (and not only) Atalanta and now he is enjoying the moment of triumph:
“Never before have we felt the support of all the fans and we have put this energy on the pitch. The boys were extraordinary right from the start, approaching the match well also because the final in Rome was difficult to digest. We were coming off good matches and we had the feeling that we hadn’t played to the best of our ability. Now we’ve done it again this week. I have to thank everyone who made me do this job. Then here in Bergamo they made me work with great trust. Sometimes I’m a bit heavy I realize it, but I always have the ambition to do something more.
Stay? I have to talk to the president, now let’s celebrate. If one had to find a moment to go out, it is this, as a winner. Winning like Atalanta won, without debt, I think is a great way to triumph. I dedicate this victory to the city of Bergamo.”
Gasperini then returns to speak to Sky when there is almost no one left on the pitch.
“One of the secrets was the performance of the two central midfielders, even in the recovery phase to restart the attack” he says. We then talk about his football philosophy and the three-man defence: “In the 90s when I went to watch Dutch football it was the only 3-man. The rest is a mix of the Italian mentality. I remember the 1982 World Cup. When an important player plays from the back he struggles, it was the same for Maradona and Zico. My adaptation instead was to run not sideways but forwards.
But I did it with Crotone, with Genoa, with the Juve Primavera. It’s clear that Atalanta had visibility when going to Europe and I received certificates from my colleagues. I started seeing Tuchel’s Chelsea playing three-man after challenging us against PSG, they said that playing three-man 10-12 years ago you couldn’t win. Then I saw Real with 3 against us, many teams in Europe. But there is also something else. I have always looked for offensive ability, scoring goals, we have suffered some criticism for some holes, some goals conceded because they were discovered, but they have been very few and the game is worth the candle. It also affects me to see teams pointing to us as an example to copy.”
“I have always thought one thing even if they call me an iron sergeant: you get the best results when you are convincing, when you make a player understand that his performance also benefits from it, otherwise he would be doing you a favor but he wouldn’t be convinced. This team is. I have players here who will be coaches. I believe that basically you have to propose something that people like. Do I stay at Atalanta? Now let’s celebrate. I say it’s like having a wife and children, you’re happy but a beautiful woman passes in front of you…”.
THE WORDS OF NIKOLA MILENKOVIC
Milenkovic: “We are more experienced in finals. Our way of playing has brought us 3 finals in 2 years.”
