Palladino: ‘Atalanta showed maturity, we wanted Raspadori at all costs’
Raffaele Palladino saw the kind of ‘maturity’ he was looking for in Atalanta’s 2-1 win over Cremonese, and admits they ‘wanted Giacomo Raspadori at all costs.’
La Dea were feeling confident after last week’s 3-0 Coppa Italia quarter-final victory over Juventus, but knew they had struggled against the newly-promoted clubs in Serie A.
That issue was resolved this evening thanks to goals from Nikola Krstovic and Davide Zappacosta, although it was once again a tense finale despite their overall domination, when Morten Thorsby got one back late on.
Palladino sees Atalanta progress
“It was an important response from the squad, including those who haven’t played as much, like Mario Pasalic, and Lazar Samardzic, who had to step in at the last second,” Palladino told DAZN Italia.
The late change was because Charles De Ketelaere pulled out in the warm-up with a knee issue, having already lost Gianluca Scamacca earlier in the day.
Marten de Roon and Honest Ahanor were also suspended, further limiting the options available.
“Sead Kolasinac hadn’t started for a while either, Krstovic had a great performance, so they all had the right spirit today. I like that whoever plays, they step up and give the best of their abilities.
“They give their all and sweat for the jersey. That must be the spirit of this team, it is what our fans need to see.”
When Palladino took the job from Ivan Juric, Atalanta were in 13th place and just one point ahead of Cremonese, but the situation has been transformed and they qualified for the Coppa Italia semi-final, and the Champions League play-offs too.
“We are happy and proud, but must also remember we’ve done nothing yet, because we’re still lagging behind in the Serie A table,” warned the coach.
“I said this game would be a test of our maturity, and I saw a very mature team.”
The arrival of Raspadori from Atletico Madrid in the January transfer window, with Ademola Lookman going the other way, also added a different dimension to the Atalanta attack.
“Jack is a player we wanted at all costs,” explained Palladino.
“The club did really well to make him understand this was the right project for him. He’s young, Italian, and a winner, so he brought the right mentality and settled in straight away. He’s got to play as much as possible to find his best form, as he’s still lacking a bit of sharpness, but I’m very happy with what he’s doing.”