Gian Piero Gasperini was clear from the first question: “Difficulties? There aren’t any. We want to play a wonderful match of incredible prestige, with our usual enthusiasm and the desire to impress,” said the Italian coach of Atalanta at the press conference ahead of the Super Cup final against Real Madrid.
Gasperini appeared in the press room of the national stadium in Warsaw calm and collected, despite the absences of Scamacca, Zaniolo, and Koopmeiners, knowing that his team holds a special place in history.
No other Italian team had played in a UEFA Super Cup final for 14 years. The last was Inter in 2010.
On the other side is Real Madrid, who have not lost a UEFA final since 1983. The last team to stop them was Alex Ferguson. He was coaching Aberdeen and won the Cup Winners’ Cup, defeating Real Madrid 2-1 in extra time.
For Gasperini, it’s a matter of prestige. “We are playing against the most successful team in the world; we will put all our pride on the field; we must play a great match.”
The meeting with Ancelotti is historic. He and Gian Piero Gasperini have known each other since their youth at Juventus. “Carletto” was coaching the first team while Gasperini worked with the youth:
“He is a reference point for everyone; he is one of the most successful coaches in the world. We were together in Coverciano; we’ve known each other since our time at Juventus. I have a relationship of great respect. I’m friends with his fitness coach, Antonio Pintus. We have worked together, of course; he is used to playing in such matches, but for me, it is a great achievement.”
Retegui, who just signed from Genoa, could play immediately: “He is ready to start, like everyone else. Lookman, for example, is one of the strongest players. On paper, the forecast is even tighter than it was against Bayer Leverkusen, but the motivation is as high as the enthusiasm. In football, this doesn’t always happen, but sometimes predictions can be overturned.
This time, Atalanta will not have the best possible lineup: “It’s clear that we would like to reach our maximum potential; we know that, but I must say that even when we went to Liverpool or other stadiums, we often faced difficulties. I always asked the players to play a good game, without issues regarding who is or isn’t there.”
Meanwhile, I have the advantage that I cannot be wrong about the starting lineup. Carlo will have many more problems. It’s a pressure that he will have. I hope the best play because only with the strongest can you try to gain maximum respect.
However, I want to say that in other cases, we have played excellent matches even though we had few players available. I always ask my team to play a good match. That’s all that matters.”