Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini ahead of the Europa League final: “What Xabi Alonso did is a beautiful example for football” | OneFootball

Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini has had huge praise to give to Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso ahead of the Europa League final.

Atalanta take on Leverkusen tomorrow in the Europa League final in Dublin and it is their first ever European final in history. If they win, it will be their first ever piece of silverware since 2011, when they had actually won the Serie B to earn promotion to the top flight.

Gasperini spoke to the press ahead of the final tomorrow and he had huge praise for Xabi Alonso’s side, who can go unbeaten in the entire season. He also praised how Alonso has decided to stay at Leverkusen despite links with other clubs.

La Dea boss said, when asked about whether there is a right time to leave a club or not: “We don’t have a crystal ball, you don’t know when the right moment is. But we never think about what moment, we live in the present and not the past or the future. What Xabi Alonso did is a beautiful example of football.”

Gasperini also stated that Atalanta have to be the best version of themselves tomorrow.

“We also have confidence and self-esteem built over these years. And we will have our fans who, as they have done all year, have made financial and time sacrifices to be close to us. Even in Dublin. On the other hand, we have all undertaken this growth path together: the company, the team, the staff, the people of Bergamo”

He further said: “We will have to give a precise and careful performance, we will have to bring the episodes to our side and we must adapt immediately to the opponent. In a final you don’t have time. We are proud of what we have done so far, but I am convinced that we can always do something more.”

Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN