Arsenal: Arteta and Jorginho full of praise for Gasperini and Atalanta | OneFootball

Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta admits having ‘big admiration’ for Gian Piero Gasperini and what he’s done at Atalanta as the two sides prepare to face off at Gewiss Stadium on Thursday in their Champions League opening game.

The Nerazzurri will be Arsenal’s first opponents in the expanded group stage of the revamped Champions League. Artetaurged his team to be ‘prepared’ to face their peculiar playing style, wmakingthem a complicated team to play.

“It’s very difficult to play against them”, he said in his pre-match press conference.

“They have a particular playing style which you see week-in, week-out and it’s very challenging for opponents coming up against them”.

Arteta: ‘I have a big admiration for Gasperini’

The Spanish manager also underlined how Atalanta’s success led several teams to emulate how they play.

“The Premier League has changed a lot in the last two seasons. You’ve got many squads doing similar things to them, and we need to be prepared ahead of tomorrow, ” he added.

“The club has an amazing story and what Gasperini has done is amazing. I have a big admiration for what he has done in his career, not only for Atalanta but for other clubs”.

“He’s a very important figure and what they achieved last season was incredible and we’ll see how tomorrow goes!”.

Arteta could also rely on suggestions from Jorginho and Riccardo Calafiori when preparing the game tactically, as the duo faced Gasperini’s Atalanta several times during their stints in Serie A.

“I spoke with Riccardo and Jorgi as they know the team very well, they know the players and it’s always very important information to get a hold of”, he said.

“They’ve played in some great games against this squad during the last few seasons, and they’ve done very well”.

Italy international Jorginho also participated in the press conference, urging his teammates to be ‘mindful’ of Atalanta’s quality.

“Their main strength comes from their collective”, the midfielder noted.

“I was not surprised to see them win the Europa League: they work together and have a project with everyone rowing in the same direction”.

“They deserve to be where they are, and I’m happy for what they’re showing on the European stage too”.

Atalanta have collected six points in Serie A so far with two victories and two defeats.