Gasperini: Atalanta has the right quality. Pasalic and Ilicic are doing well

The Atalanta manager, Gian Piero Gasperini, has addressed the press following his team’s victory over Salernitana.

Gasperini emphasised the importance of quality in his squad, describing it as an aspect that could transform their performances. “It helps us react in difficult times. If you have quality up front, you make the difference, including those coming off the bench”, he said. The Atalanta boss was particularly happy with the contributions from squad players, lauding the performances of players like Miranchuk, De Ketelaere, and Muriel, hoping to recover Scamacca soon.

Talking about player Josip Iličić, Gasperini said, “He’s in good shape. I told him to come and train, and he said no.” He added that the positions of Pasalic and Koopmeiners have greatly influenced the quality of the players.

Addressing their home form, he expressed his hope to see goals being scored at both ends of the field. “We hope to see the south end in action too soon. We are working a lot on set pieces, but we are conceding more goals than we would like,” Gasperini said.

His thoughts then turned to Bologna, which he described as ‘a pleasant surprise’. “Their growth is notable, and the league table is very tight- so anyone could be the surprise. The championship is much more balanced and harder: Monza, Fiorentina, and Torino are all in there. Bologna deserves to be there after 16 significant matches. Last season’s results mean nothing. It will be a good test for us to face a team currently ahead of us.”

Gasperini also acknowledged the widening of his squad, mentioning Pasalic’s reliability in his role. “He can play in a role where he initially struggled, his age has also influenced this. He made three amazing games in a row, moving him forward, he scored more goals. We can manage the midfield well. We hope to recover Kolasinac and Toloi soon, Palomino is a longer-term concern. We’ve struggled a bit at the back, but we have a lot of players coming forward who are all emerging. We look forward to welcoming Scamacca. If we improve there, we can do well; we have a lot of wide players who we hope can step up.” It’s clear that the Atalanta manager is confident in his squad’s depth and adaptability.