Maurizio Sarri saw definite improvement in Atalanta after their 2-1 victory over Sassuolo, but ‘we became too passive in our defending after the first 30 minutes.’
It has been a difficult start to the season for the new coach, who brings a very different playing style to the one that this squad had been built on for over a decade.
Nerves were felt after the 0-0 first leg Conference League play-off draw with Hapoel Tel-Aviv, but they were swept away with this evening’s Serie A opener.
Giacomo Raspadori broke the deadlock after six minutes, then Nikola Krstovic pounced on a defensive error following the temporary Cas Odenthal equaliser for Sassuolo.
Sarri sees Atalanta progress
“A victory is always important. We were focused for the first 30 minutes and allowed practically nothing, but then as the game wore on, we started to suffer in defence,” said Sarri in his press conference.
“We need to above all work with the new players, and I include those like Charles De Ketelaere who arrived late due to the World Cup. It’s a process and we’ll see how it goes.
“The midfield did very good work for the whole 90 minutes, but we became too passive after the opening 30 minutes. The wingers did better than last time, Nicola Zalewski showed more initiative too.”
The 0-0 draw with Hapoel Tel-Aviv also had some big Marco Carnesecchi saves, and the goalkeeper came to their rescue again this evening to deny Sassuolo.
“We have become more dangerous going forward, but if you start to defend deep and passively then it becomes a problem. At times we struggle to press as high as I’d like,” explained Sarri.
“When we defend too deep, we become passive, whereas we’ve got to build out from the back better. I will say that Raspadori has great quality, he struggled in pre-season, but tonight he helped the defence as well as scoring the goal.”
Eljif Elmas came on for his debut just days after arriving from RB Leipzig on loan with option to buy.
“We just had a look at him and thought he could play 15 minutes, but with more in-depth tests we’ll see how much he can improve in his fitness levels.”
Mario Pasalic represents a reunion for Sarri as well as a long-term Atalanta fan favourite.
“He is a real professional with a remarkable work ethic. I already knew Mario at Chelsea, then he went on loan because the squad was so big. I want to congratulate this team, because the work ethic I see in them was clearly drilled into them by a great club and the great coaches who came before me.”
