“In my job you have to be convincing, if the guy is convinced, you’re good to go. Maybe it takes you months, then something clicks. Lookman is the most striking example, today he’s a top, but he wasn’t”. Talk like this Gian Piero GasperiniAtalanta coach, in the interview given to La Gazzetta dello Sportof the Nigerian striker: “He was strong, but he lived on ideas and disappeared from matches. Even from training sessions. I worked on him with the patience of a craftsman. What he has done in recent weeks gives a sense of maturation: he lets himself be given ball, participate in the game, bond with your teammates.”
What Scamacca will Spalletti have?
“A Scamacca bomber, who scores a lot of goals. And Luciano will be able to give him further knowledge. He has always committed himself to the death, the reputation of being a bad boy is absurd. A key moment was when he freed himself from the crazy pressure he had on him, every game he seemed to have to prove that he was a great player, he was dark at every mistake. When he didn’t go to the national team, in those 10 days we managed to find the key: it wasn’t a question of goals, but of performance and dynamism. PlayStation?
What season was it?
“Unimaginable. In the first round we played in a somewhat utilitarian way, the technical expression didn’t satisfy me. We proceeded with ups and downs to try to improve, then we found consistency. The cup made the difference.”