Gasperini: “It was right to play. We almost had more absences”

udine

“I think it’s right to play whenever possible and today we didn’t play against a team of boys, but against a top-level team.” Here are the statements that overturn the Juventus interpretation on the decision to play in extremis, taken on Saturday by the Tar. For the Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini, therefore, not only was it right to play, but it was also a true match in all respects, starting with the lists presented to the referee Fabbri: “They will also have had their problems, and I will not discuss them, but when I saw the team I said it was of an absolute level and I thought about the pitfalls we could have had, given that the Udinese defense was almost complete, the two external holders as well and then the trident with thick forwards. I repeat, we didn’t play against a team of kids, as we might have expected on the eve and in fact I was not at all calm ».

Then, the Dea technician also recalled his absences: “There was the risk of thinking of coming to play against a team of kids, but if you look at the absences, perhaps we had more of them and beyond what he said I was worried about this match, because we also didn’t have many players, like Zapata, Gosens, Freuler, Sportiello, Boga and Piccoli ».

On the delicate issue of playing or not playing, the coach also replied to Sky, immediately after the triple whistle: «For us it was a week of absolute uncertainty, we did not know if and when the match would be played. But I believe that in the end it is the best thing to play ».

Logically, after having attributed all the value, Gasperini then analyzed the game: «As a matter of principle, we interpreted the game well. There was a relaxation in which we sometimes run into when we are ahead and we always manage to do something that can reopen the game, but after the episode of their goal, born from the deflected shot, there were no other episodes. The result then spread to the end, perhaps the gap could have been even a bit smaller ».

Then, here’s the look to the future: «Against Inter it will be a high-level match. I don’t think about the Scudetto but I want mine to measure themselves against the opponent who is the best at the moment ». –