Gian Piero Gasperini was clear from the first question: “Difficulties? There are none. 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 composed, 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, there is Real Madrid, which has not lost a UEFA final since 1983. The last one to stop them was Alex Ferguson. He was the coach of Aberdeen and won the Cup Winners’ Cup, defeating Real Madrid 2-1 after extra time.
For Gasperini, it is 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 need to play a great match.”
The meeting with Ancelotti is historic. He and Gian Piero Gasperini have known each other since their youth years at Juventus. “Carletto” was coaching the first team, while Gasperini was with the youth:
“He is a reference point for all, he is one of the most successful coaches in the world. We were together in Coverciano, we have known each other since our time at Juventus. I have a relationship of great respect. I am friends with his fitness coach, Antonio Pintus. We have worked together of course; he is used to playing these kinds of matches, but for me, it is a great achievement.”
Retegui, who just signed from Genoa, could play immediately: “He is ready to play from the start, like everyone. Lookman, for example, is one of the strongest players. On paper, the prediction is even tighter than against Bayer Leverkusen, but the motivation is as high as the enthusiasm. In football, this does not always happen, but sometimes predictions can be turned upside down.
This time, Atalanta will not have the best possible lineup: “It is clear that we would like to reach our maximum potential, we know this, 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 err in the lineup. Carlo will have many more problems. That is pressure that he will have. I hope the best players will play because only with the strongest can you try to earn the highest respect.
However, I want to say that in other cases, we have played excellent matches even when we had few players available. I always ask my team to play a good game. That is all that matters.”