“The judgment on Napoli-Atalanta lies in Conte’s words: he admitted that at the moment Gasperini’s team is superior. Napoli was never in the match, Atalanta played better. Gasperini made some surprise choices by leaving top scorer Retegui was out for De Ketelaare, but he didn’t want to give points of reference and the second goal was emblematic. Atalanta left Napoli running empty, giving them little chance to be dangerous. McTominay’s chance could have changed the course of the match, but from the point of view of the game, there was no match.” As Salvatore Bagniformer Napoli midfielder of the first Scudetto, guest of Radio Anch’io Sport on Rai Radio 1, on Atalanta’s clear 3-0 success against Maradona.
The limits of Napoli: “Gilmour is a player with the characteristics of Lobotka, but he is not Lobotka. The Scotsman has geometry, but does not have the game-building qualities that Lobotka has. McTominay has been used in almost all roles, from second striker to midfielder Yesterday, however, Napoli didn’t touch him much. And then Lukaku, when he finds physical defenders like Hien, gets into trouble. If he limits himself to playing with his back to goal, he becomes a predictable player.”
Atalanta from Scudetto? “In my years there have been some surprises, from Verona to Samp, up to my Napoli. Now a surprise is much more difficult, but Atalanta, Fiorentina and Lazio are doing very well. For now the championship is balanced. In the end, the Inter and Napoli remain my favourites, despite Napoli not starting as favorites after finishing tenth last season. Conte’s work was extraordinary, he built it in two months after the defeat in Verona, he gave an organization of game and credibility”.
Is Atalanta missing something for the Scudetto? “He has everything to be able to get to the end. Nobody is unbalanced and not even Gasp will be unbalanced. Against the top of the class he left Maradona with a 0-3, playing football. Atalanta never lifts the ball, never throws long balls. The team has grown in awareness after the Europa League victory.”
Italy’s Champions League hopes: “Milan should take advantage of Real’s moment after the 4-0 defeat against Barcelona, but I wouldn’t be very calm with Carlo. Inter-Arsenal? From yesterday’s match, it’s clear that for now Inzaghi is thinking more about the championship. Atalanta and Inter Juve have the possibility of arriving in the 8th. Bologna could reach a prestigious goal, qualifying for the playoffs. The Italians are not the favorites but we can take advantage of some negative moments of the big teams, as Real Madrid is going through now City remains the final favorite.”