Gasperini: “The Match Degenerated Due to Refereeing Incidents”

Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini called their 4-0 defeat to Inter a ‘training session, rather than a Serie A game.’ La Dea were pummeled in what was ultimately a very one sided match, with goals from Matteo Darmian, Lautaro Martinez, Federico Dimarco and Davide Frattesi securing a huge win for the Nerazzurri. Speaking to Sky Sport Italia post-match, Gasperini couldn’t hide his frustration at the performance:

“The match degenerated due to refereeing incidents; it turned into a training session rather than a Serie A game.” He added, “I had the feeling we were doing well. In the first half, we performed strongly against a very strong Inter side. The result will certainly leave those who didn’t watch the match perplexed. Perhaps Inter would have won anyway, but it would have been a genuine match.”

Continuing, Gasperini said, “We are in good shape, feeling good. Now there’s another match, then Sporting, then Juventus, then Sporting again, followed by Fiorentina and Napoli. We’re pumped, ready, and back on track. We’re competing in all competitions, at least as far as our goals are concerned. We’re two points behind Bologna, and Sunday we have a direct clash. It’s clear that from now on, the matches become increasingly crucial, but we must always be very satisfied. Then there are matches like tonight’s, and you have to be ready to move on, focusing on the positive aspects. We don’t have time to waste energy on other things.”

The coach concluded, “Perhaps the match against Bologna affects your confidence, but for us, this isn’t the type of game that can affect us morally, as long as there was a game… We played against a great Inter; it was a very unusual, very strange match. We’ll think about the next one; there’s no time to dwell on the negative.”