The Nerazzurri coach ready for the challenge against PSG: “We have shown that, even without a coat of arms and large investments, we can do well, drawing on other values: enthusiasm, play, sacrifice”. And De Roon confirms his promise: “If we win a thousand pizzas for the fans”
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The words and emotions of Gian Piero Gasperini in the Cathedral, the Stadio della Luce in Lisbon, which tomorrow will host the most important match in the history of Atalanta: a dry quarter-final of the Champions League in front of Neymar’s Paris Saint Germain.
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Gasperini, what is in the heart of the Goddess?
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“So many things… We are well aware of the expectation there is for this match, for the passion that Bergamo and the province have always had for Atalanta. Even more so after the tragedy that happened. We carry the feelings of our people with us. We want to make her proud of us and, if possible, give her a smile “.
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“We arrive in the best conditions, after excellent matches that have allowed us to repeat the third place in the championship. My effort was to go beyond emotions, to control them and to normalize this game as much as possible. I worked on our condition and on the problems that PSG can create ”.
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“Many say that for us the one-off match is better, but I would have preferred the two. We almost always did better in the second. We will have to be good at getting into the game well, be present and concentrated immediately ”.
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“Neymar is one of the best players in the world. The best possible defense is to attack him and force him to defend on us. With everyone’s attention, we can do it ”.
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Is being a surprise an advantage or a limitation?
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“I don’t know, but I know that we will not lose anyway: we will win or we will learn”.
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Only you are left in the Champions League. Even if someone has questioned your presence …
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“We have shown that, even without a coat of arms and without large investments, you can do well in the Champions League by drawing on other values: enthusiasm, play, sacrifice. These are unlimited resources, available to everyone. I think people like this. We will try not to disappoint you ”.
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Mbappé inside or out: what changes?
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“We prepare as if it were on the pitch. I don’t know if he will play from the start. I know instead that we will certainly miss Ilicic and Gollini. And I know that Manchester City and Shakhtar can win both cups. They were in our group. Luckily we didn’t qualify, as some say. We have been more than good. The only luck was the draw between Dinamo Zagreb and the Ukrainians. ”
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Parola to De Roon
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Marten De Roon is also on his way to the most important match of his life. “Yes, it is important for everyone, for me, for us, for Bergamo, for Italy. But we have to prepare it like the others. We must be the Atalanta of all time. We are used to playing against the big names in Italy. PSG is still something different, they have many champions who are used to matches like these, but we are ready ”.
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“Four years ago we began a journey with the arrival of Gasperini and every year we have always grown. I don’t know if next year we will still be able to reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League… But we will try to improve even more, training after training ”.
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Do you confirm your promise if you win the Champions League?
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“Sure. I bake over a thousand pizzas for our fans ”.
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11 August 2020 (change August 11, 2020 | 19:43)
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