News about Gian Piero Gasperini

Over the last eight years, Atalanta's remarkable rise from yo-yo club to Champions League regulars has come despite a reputation for being slow starters.

Antonio Conte is drawing closer to being appointed as head coach at Napoli and a deal could be confirmed this weekend, according to reports in Italy. The former Chelsea and Inter Milan manager has been closely linked with the role at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona since April amid a torrid season for the 2023-24 Scudetto-winners. 

The Gunners will look to go again in Europe's premier competition next season after reaching the quarter-finals this term before losing to Bayern Munich 3-2 on aggregate. They will however have to deal with a renovated format, involving a league stage rather than a group stage with teams playing eight different opponents in a bid to qualify for the knockout stages. Italy, who have already been awarded a fifth Champions League spot due to their UEFA coefficient rating, could be handed a sixth spot depending on the the final standings of the Serie A table.

Gian Piero Gasperini made a surprising comparison between speculation connecting him to the managerial position at Napoli and adultery after celebrating Atalanta's dazzling Europa League victory in Dublin on Wednesday evening. The Italian manager claimed his first major trophy after joining the Bergamo-based side in 2016 following their comprehensive 3-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen. Xabi Alonso's team suffered their first defeat of the 2023-24 campaign as their miraculous unbeaten run came to an end at the Aviva Stadium, brought to a halt by a rampant Serie A side who had already qualified for next season's Champions League after a strong fifth-place finish. 

Xabi Alonso admitted he was 'proud' of his Bayer Leverkusen side, despite stating that their Europa League final defeat by Atalanta was 'painful'. The German side's fairytale season came to an abrupt ending on Wednesday night in Dublin, as Gian Piero Gasperini's Atalanta thumped Leverkusen 3-0 at the Aviva Stadium, to end their 51-game unbeaten run and extinguish their treble hopes.  'For me, the result today does not change one bit how I feel about my players or what we have been doing,' the Spaniard said to the BBC after the match.  

Fans have been left baffled by Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini's decision to wear jeans during the Europa League final on Wednesday night.  His side dominated Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen, with Ademola Lookman's sensational hat-trick of goals ending the Bundesliga side's hopes of going the entire season unbeaten, with Atalanta winning 3-0. The former Everton and Fulham winger, Lookman, would find the back of the net in the first 11 minutes of the match, before netting again with a superbly taken strike from outside the penalty area.

According to a recent report, Jose Mourinho is considering his future as Roma boss, with his current deal set to end in the summer. The Special One, 60, is in his final year with the Serie A club, and will come to an end at the end of June. And with no new labor talks between Mourinho and Roma, it appears that the Portuguese boss could leave Stadio Olimpico in the summer to look for new opportunities elsewhere.

Roma, who lost in four out of their last five league outings, are eighth in the standings on 29 points. They are just one point behind seventh-placed Lazio and Atalanta in sixth place, and four adrift of Fiorentina, who finish in fifth place. When told not to do so, Mourinho turned yellow in stoppage time of the first half for protesting another decision taken by referee Gianluca Aurelio.

Since being convicted of missing a drug test, one of Argentina's World Cup winners was handed a two-year suspension for failing a drug test, according to reports that he ingly took his children's sickness syrup in the run-up to the tournament. Following a dramatic penalty shootout victory over France in the final, the player lifted football's most coveted award alongside Lionel Messi and co. last December. However, it has since been revealed that he failed a drug screening right before the World Cup started in November 2022.

After securing a permanent move to Wolfsburg, ex-Atalanta player Joakim Maehle attacked him and his lack of 'freedom' at the Serie A side. The 26-year-old protested the'super tough' mental environment that was reportedly supervised by the Italian boss, who has been in charge of Bergamo since 2016. The Danish full-back spoke out about his intention to leave the club ahead of Denmark's 2024 Euro qualifier against San Marino on Thursday.

Rasmus Hojlund, a Manchester United target, has not been included in Atalanta's squad to face Bournemouth in a pre-season friendly on Saturday afternoon. This comes as the Red Devils hold further discussions about a striker's departure this summer.

He is a young, blond, robust, quick, Scandinavian, and a striker with a lethal left foot. And their surnames are similar. Comparisons between Rasmus Hojlund and Erling Haaland were inevitable after Manchester United made Hojlund their top target. So, here are the ways that the 20-year-old from Copenhagen may have been likened to City's super striker.

Manchester United have been dealt a blow in their hunt for Rasmus Hojlund, with Atalanta announcing that the striker will be sold for £86 million asking price. After securing contracts for Chelsea's Mason Mount and Andre Onana from Inter Milan, United also paid out £112 million in transfer fees. Erik ten Hag's top priority is still a new striker, while Hojlund has been a top target for the United boss, but there are limitations on how much money they can expend. United had hoped to land a contract for the young Danish striker for around £45 million, but Atalanta sees that as a derogatory price and is sticking by their valuation of the player, as reported by coach Gian Piero Gasperini. When asked for an update on the 20-year-old's future, Atalanta boss said, 'I don't know, I honestly don't know,' the Atalanta boss told reporters.

In his first Serie A season with nine goals in 32 games, the 20-year-old has excelled in his first Serie A season, but has fallen short of a hot streak from January to March. In two games for Denmark, he scored in four straight games at the start of the year before bagging a hat-trick and a brace. Hojulnd's hot streak attracted his attention from Manchester United, but the rumors accompanied him with a six-game goal drought for the Dane. Gasperini believes there is a link, as he told Tuttosport on Saturday: "The attributes are all there, we just need to get to know him at first, but then we stood out for his great will to break through."

ALVISE CAGNAZZO: On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, eight games were played across Serie A, as the Italian top-flight's dramatic end draws closer. Inter Milan's eight-game winning streak was snapped by champions Napoli, although city rivals AC Milan struck five against a sorry Sampdoria. Monza won on Friday night, marking their impressive debut in Serie A, although Atalanta's future appears a bit more uncertain despite their 3-1 victory over Verona.

As the curtain comes to an end in a spectacular week of international football, attention is now on domestic life as the season comes to a close. Although the Premier League seems to be brimming with a title race, a top-four battle, and a relegation battle for the ages, it is likely that all Europe will be elicit in terms of ineration and excitement. With 12 games remaining in LaLiga, 11 left in Serie A, 10 in Ligue 1 and nine in the Bundesliga, there are plenty of places to play in the top leagues on the continent. Despite the fact that titles are expected to be swn up in Italy and Spain, with Napoli and Barcelona respectively holding strong positions, the Champions League football competition is still in the air, despite being braceding for a fierce title contest in the Bundesliga.

Serie A saw plenty more twists and turns over the weekend in Italy as Serie A saw many more twists and turns. Juventus won a crucial match against Champions League quarter-finalists Inter Milan, Lazio defeated Roma and AC Milan were defeated 3-1 by Udinese. Sportsmail delves into Serie A's weekend action, bringing you ten things we learned.

With more games in store on Monday and Tuesday, the full round of fixtures has yet to conclude, but Italy's Serie A Serie A evoked up plenty of talking points over the weekend. Inter Milan defeated Arch-rivals AC Milan on Sunday night, with Lautaro Martinez turning home the only goal of the game at the San Siro, while Napoli defended their 13-point lead at the top with a three-goal victory over Spezia. ALVISE CAGNAZZO of Sportsmail has dissected the weekend's coverage and taken a closer look at ten things we learned from the Italian top flight.

Jose Mourinho's regular remark separates him from Roma's coterie and supporters. Roma's surprise Coppa Italia departure at the hands of Cremonese was a bitter blow to take for a coach who never emphasizes the club's transfer market or his squad's weaknesses if they lose. In critical situations, a leader should defend his team and accept all responsibility directly. His method of requesting more from his players is rare, but his desire to win goes beyond the boundaries of a charismatic boss.

The 13th matchday of the Serie A season and the penultimate weekend of action before the World Cup break were full of anticipation. Lazio won the local bragging rights in the derby with Roma, Juventus dominated Inter Milan 2-0, and Napoli defeated Atalanta to keep their unbeaten streak going. ALVISE CAGNAZZO of Sportsmail is back with the main talking points from another packed weekend in Italy.

Ademola Lookman (pictured) scored a spectacular solo goal in the second half to double Atalanta's lead after Hans Hateboer's opener. Atalanta climbed to second place, five points behind Serie A leader Napoli. With a victory over Torino later today, defending champions AC Milan will be able to leap two points above Atalanta. Atalanta lost their first match of the season last week against Maurizio Sarri's side later this week. In the 32nd minute, Atalanta took the lead against Empoli, when Teun Koopendras took the ball back from the byline for Lookman. His gun was confiscated, but Hateboer was charged with an angled drive into the far bottom corner.

Atalanta is a team made up of many different people with Gasperini, the right one in the right situation. Without him, the team would have lost tenacity, failing to meet such high standards of results in Serie A and Champions League, respectively. Gasperini seems to be a natural performer who makes the right decisions in the best moments without ever having the club invest too much money. A feature that has been much admired in Italy is the fact that winning requires more than just money; to win, you need a smart tactical plan and a solid monthly training program. Like Napoli, Atalanta is also unbeaten, and they have a team that will probably continue fighting for the win in Serie A.

Napoli continued their good start to the season by beating Torino 3-1 on Saturday, while Atalanta remained level on points after edging Fiorentina 1-0. Roma also won when they came from behind to beat Inter Milan, while Juventus and defending champions AC Milan returned to winning ways after losing before the international break. Alvise Cagnazzo of Sportsmail takes a look at ten things we learned from this weekend's participation in Serie A.

Only two teams are unbeaten in Serie A's seventh round of games, after Napoli put an end to Milan's reign, and Atalanta saw off Jose Mourinho's Roma in the capital. With a 3-0 victory over Inter, Udinese maintained their own fine form against the top teams, while Juventus lost their first victory of the season over the Old Lady who dominated the game with ten men. All of this and more were included in our latest ten things we learned from Serie A with Sportmail's ALVISE CAGNAZZO. He was supposed to be the extra man for Juventus, but Di Maria's 'bullying' attitude against Armando Izzo in the team's personal war against the Monza defender has already sparked suspicion of intolerance, allowing the team to be stifled in times of such turmoil. Angel Di Maria must be the symbolic figure, not a player full of resentment and resentment: against Monza, he lost the best of chances to be a hero, and now his journey in Italy seems to be a disappointment.