Gian Piero Gasperini, Atalanta's coach, spoke to the media in a press conference today and said the following words about the fixture list and how he is unsatisfied with it:
"The mess was made with the Supercoppa matches, it's not something from today. For us, it was already very clear because Atalanta was already qualified at that time. It's not something I can change, we have to adapt. We have to take one game at a time, it's not normal, if it had happened to some other team, who knows what controversies would have arisen."
On the match against Milan, Gasperini said:
"Milan is a very strong team, despite the slip-up against Monza. It will definitely be an important match, also in terms of the standings."
On the Europa League opponent, Sporting Lisbon:
"Before Sporting, we have to play against Milan, Inter, and Bologna, I find it hard to focus there. They have grown, we have already met twice, this is also a bit of an anomaly, but the important thing is to arrive well."
On Ademola Lookman:
"His return for us is an additional reinforcement, he had a good training session yesterday, the pain has reduced a lot, he is ready already for tomorrow to give us what he has already given us in the past."
On who he fears the most, Gasperini said:
"Right now, Milan. There are also Sporting, Juventus, and Fiorentina, it's a schedule where we can't waste energy on what is. We will always have an advantage, if things go well we are happy for the next match, if things don't go well we won't even have time to despair. Milan has some excellences in certain roles, like on the left wing, but this doesn't take anything away from the others. Milan is a top-level team: everything obviously starts from the defensive phase to be able to try to attack."
On Charles De Ketelaere:
"He's the best (version of) De Ketelaere at the moment, he has margins but he's on the right path. He has gained confidence, which is already a good sign."
On tactics, Gasperini said:
"Milan is a very flexible team, they also vary with the midfielders, these are always very rich matches tactically. It's also true that we know each other, we're talking about two teams that are prepared to vary tactically depending on the match."
On the Atalanta defense:
"I have always been very pleased with the defenders we have had over the years. The defensive phase has always been among the most underrated, but it has always been among the top five or six. Kolasinac's arrival has given us a lot, we had some problems for a certain period, but now it seems to be overcome."
