Atalanta manager full of praise for Barcelona ahead of CL showdown – ‘Epitome of Spanish football’

As FC Barcelona get set to take on Atalanta BC in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, the Italian outfit’s manager, Gian Piero Gasperini was full of praise for the Catalans and the way they play.

Atalanta, who won the UEFA Europa League last season, will be facing the Blaugrana for the first time in their history.

Gasperini stated that he believes that the match will be the true test of his team’s level as he considers Barcelona as the best.

“Of the big teams in Europe we had never played them before and I’ve always considered them the best team,” the Atalanta coach said.

“Facing such a big team will allow us to see how competitive we are and to see if our way of playing can hurt them,” he added.

The Italian manager asserted that only a win or a draw would be acceptable for him tomorrow, before reiterating that it will be a privilege for Atalanta to face Barcelona.

“However, the most important thing is to compete against such a prestigious team like Barcelona. For us, it is a great achievement to be here,” he noted.

When asked about Barcelona’s star players, Gasperini avoided mentioning any individual by name, but instead praised the work being done by manager Hansi Flick, saying:

“It wasn’t just Messi in the past, but also the rest. It was an incredible team. But today’s team, Flick’s team, is a very good team. He is building it in a different way. Even if the names change, Barça always play well and identifies very young talents.”

“Barça are the epitome of Spanish football, there are always incredible young talents coming through,” he added.

Giving his two cents about the goalkeeping debate at Barcelona and Hansi Flick’s decision to choose Wojciech Szczesny over Inaki Pena, Gasperini remarked:

“The goalkeeper is always a special role. He’s a great goalkeeper. He was at Juventus. The mistake he may have made [vs Benfica] does not detract from his value, he is a great athlete, with an extraordinary career and who works very well.”

Source: Mundo Deportivo