In addition to coach Gasperini, at the end of Milan-Atalanta 0-1, a match valid for the 33rd round of Serie A Enilive which took place this evening at San Siro, Raoul Bellanova, full-back of the Bergamo team, will also speak at the press conference as usual.
On the hugs at the end of the match — what do they mean?
"The hugs are a snapshot of this recent period: a lot has been said, but now we've earned two very important wins that relaunch us and put us in a good position in the fight for the Champions League, which is very tough. Even during the three consecutive losses, we never gave up and always trained at 100%."
Could an apparently easy schedule be a trap?
"In the second half of the season, we’ve dropped more points against lower-ranked teams: the ones fighting to stay up give 10% more."
How did you feel in your new role? Bellanova replied:
"I was a bit scared — doing man-marking on Leão for the first time at San Siro is never easy. As the minutes went by, things got better."
Was it a special match for you at San Siro?
"Playing at San Siro against Milan is every kid’s dream. I’ve played here wearing the black and blue shirt, and I know how important this stadium is. Matches like this don't even need preparation — your legs just go on their own."
Did you beat Milan with the very weapon they wanted to use against you?
"We struck on the counterattack in the toughest moment of the match. In the first half, we controlled the game, and once we scored, we managed the defensive phase very carefully."
How was it playing with Cuadrado?
"Cuadrado doesn’t need an introduction — for many years he’s been one of the best full-backs in the world. He helped me a lot defensively. With the quality he has, it’s great for a central defender because he almost never loses the ball. We knew Milan had two stars like Theo and Leão — two of the best in their roles."
How much does a win help mentally? Bellanova answered:
"When you lose two or three games in a row, it’s mentally tough. When you're free mentally, you pull off plays that you'd otherwise mess up just because you’re tense. Against Bologna, it was clear that we were back to being the Atalanta that fights for every ball."
