Coppa Italia – Gasperini: ‘Liverpool, Marseille and Sporting CP have helped Atalanta’

Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini believes that having to play teams like Liverpool, Marseille and Sporting CP in the second half of the 2023-24 season has helped Atalanta to raise their standards on their way to the Coppa Italia final, which will be played out against Juventus on Wednesday night.

The Dea coach conducted his pre-match press conference on Tuesday evening ahead of tomorrow night’s cup final at the Stadio Olimpico.

Gasperini was full of pride for his Atalanta team, who he feels still have plenty of room to grow and improve as a unit.

He added that this is the third generation of Atalanta players since his arrival in 2016, but he will hold off before deciding which of his squads were the strongest.

Gasperini assessment ahead of Juventus Coppa Italia final

Gasperini takes enormous pride in the fact that Atalanta are in two cup finals, as he used to think that the Coppa Italia was the only trophy his team had any realistic chance of winning.

“I used to think that the Coppa Italia was the only trophy Atalanta could win, as the Scudetto and the Champions League were quite far off. Instead, this is the third time we have reached the final. The other two didn’t go so well, but we are stubborn and persistent,” he said, reported via TMW.

“The Europa League was unthinkable for us, but the boys have been amazing and put an incredible journey together, and now all that is missing is the final step. We want to win the final.

Reporters asked whether the Europa League quarter-final against Liverpool was Atalanta’s turning point of the 2023-24 season. They thumped Klopp’s side 3-0 at Anfield, before qualifying 3-1 for the semis.

Gasperini replied: “It was one of the turning points. In Liverpool we had the awareness that we could reach a final, but for the Coppa Italia, it was Milan in San Siro.

Tough tests only benefit La Dea

Atalanta have recently received some praise from Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola, to which Gasperini responded: “I thank him. The matches we have had to face this season have filled the team with self-esteem, and tomorrow we will go up against a team of the very highest value, even though they have not picked up the results that we expect from them in the league.

“Liverpool, Marseille and Sporting have given us strength, as did the victory over Roma in the league the other night. Having played a lot has helped us, even if it takes a bit out of the players.

On Atalanta’s previous Coppa Italia final losses, the coach added: “Only five years have gone since then, and it is a great source of pride because there are only a few players from that team still here.

“We have changed over time, there was a second and now a third Atalanta. But we always have spirit, motivation and an identity. We have to look up, always, the desire to improve helps us stay in high positions.

“We’ll see later on if this is my strongest Atalanta team. It’s certainly a young Atalanta team that can grow and become even stronger. It’s not easy to rebuild and remain competitive.

“We’re certainly going in with lots of enthusiasm, and Juventus have had results below their expectations in recent weeks, but they remain an undeniably strong team.”