Atalanta’s head coach, Gian Piero Gasperini confirms Ademola Lookman’s subbed a misunderstanding against Lazio
Gasperini made it known in yesterday’s press conference that he thought talk of their ‘collapse’ was exaggerated, but this was their third consecutive defeat, all without a single goal against Inter, Fiorentina, and Lazio.
The Atalanta team manager misunderstood Gasp’s instructions, replacing the Nigerian forward with the Brazilian midfielder.
They suffered a 1-0 home loss against Lazio on Sunday. In the second half, star striker Lookman was mistakenly subbed off, which raised eyebrows.
“There was a mistake. Only Retegui was subbed to come off,”
“Unfortunately, there was a misunderstanding between ‘Ede’ [Ederson] and ‘Ade’ [Lookman] and we paid a high price for it.
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“I believe the team put in a solid performance against a tough opponent,” Gasperini added.
“Judgements are always based on the result, which doesn’t reflect how the game actually went.
Gian-Piero-Gasperini-Atalanta’s head coach
“There are seven games remaining. We can still achieve what we didn’t manage in the last three games if we play with the same intensity, spirit, and desire to get a result. In football, you have to accept moments like this and respond. Everything is still possible.”
Gustav Isaksen came off the bench and was decisive, as Fisayo Dele-Bashiru knocked down the long Christos Mandas pass for his teammate to seal the 1-0 result.
“There’s nothing to fault in terms of players’ efforts and performance.
“It wasn’t easy to keep Lazio under control for so long and put in a similar display. We’ve been struggling to score lately, and when opponents score on their first chance, the whole game is compromised. It’s hard to accept, but this is football.”
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Having been in the Scudetto race until a few weeks ago, Atalanta now find themselves nervously looking over their shoulders at the chasing pack if they want to hold on to third place. They are also without a single home victory in Serie A in 2025.
Gasperini previously said he would not extend his Atalanta contract beyond June 2026, at the press conference he was asked if he had changed his mind.
“It’s not the right time to talk about this after such a game,” the Atalanta boss concluded.
