Atalanta can dream of Serie A title, says coach Gasperini

Atalanta must believe they can win the Serie A title, manager Gian Piero Gasperini said after Sunday’s 4-0 thrashing of Juventus moved them within three points of leaders Inter Milan, whom they host next week.

Atalanta produced an outstanding performance to claim victory at the Allianz Stadium and move up to 58 points in third place ahead of a vital home game for their Scudetto hopes against holders Inter.

“We must never stop them dreaming. We may say it’s impossible, but if you believe enough, things can become possible,” Gasperini told reporters.

“We know Inter and (second-placed) Napoli are two excellent teams, we have lost our last seven in a row against Inter, but that too might be a signal.

“We had never reached this stage of the season in the running for the top spot, so you never know.” The Italian was delighted to see his side end Juventus’ five-game winning streak in the league, as Atalanta recorded their most resounding win in Turin.

“The result speaks for itself, for us it’s a sensational result. It’s difficult to imagine such a victory on the eve of the game, given Juventus’ winning streak,” Gasperini said.

“It was an almost perfect performance, because we missed a few too many goals. Today we played a great game.”

Gasperini praised striker Ademola Lookman for scoring his 13th Serie A goal, weeks after calling the Nigerian “one of the worst penalty takers he has ever seen” following their Champions League exit to Club Brugge.

“People may have different views. Lookman became a fantastic player when he thought more about the team,” he said.

“He made Atalanta great and Atalanta made him great. I’m convinced that in the end he’ll wear the captain’s armband so he’ll have Atalanta on his skin”

Motta faces sleepless night: Juventus coach Thiago Motta said it would be difficult to sleep after his team were hammered 4-0 at home by Atalanta in a major blow to their slim hopes of the Serie A title.

Juventus’s five-game winning streak in the league came to an end and they remain fourth in the table with 52 points, nine behind leaders Inter Milan, in a disappointing season after they were knocked out of the Champions League and the Coppa Italia.

“Atalanta deserved to win and we knew our opponents’ game plan,” Motta told reporters.

“Today we are disappointed and it will be difficult to sleep. Everything can influence us, because we are Juventus. The fans, like the press, have the right to think what they want.

“The facts say that we are in this position. This team has an enormous margin for growth. After the first goal we suffered a lot. We are quite disappointed and now we have to start thinking about the next game.”

Juventus had not suffered a Serie A home defeat by four or more goals since 1967, but Motta said last month’s 4-2 loss on penalties to Empoli in the Italian Cup quarter-finals was more painful.

“It is a defeat we do not like, but I do not put it on the same level as the defeat to Empoli,” he said. “They are different situations. We needed to keep our balance and we didn’t do that, but it’s partly down to a lack of experience in the side.”

Juventus play at Fiorentina next Sunday.

Meanwhile, Napoli earned a deserved win over Fiorentina on Sunday, and manager Antonio Conte was happy with how his side managed the game after they conceded a goal shortly after taking a 2-0 lead, but feels they need to be more ruthless in attack.

“I am very satisfied with the performance and the response of the team,” Conte told reporters.

“In a growth path, it is normal that after creating so much for 60-65 minutes and getting to 2-0, conceding a goal can generate excessive anxiety.

“You have to be good at managing it, cooling the moment and keeping the ball more, continuing to do things in the right way without conceding dangerous situations. The boys did well, I’m happy.”

Napoli put in a dominant display, especially in the opening half, where Romelu Lukaku netted from a rebound, but they spurned a host of other chances.

Reuters