Palladino is good friends with Marescaplaceholder image
Palladino is good friends with Maresca | Getty Images
Atalanta boss Raffaele Palladino has been speaking ahead of his side’s clash with Chelsea.
That makes this one a big game for Chelsea, at least if they want to save themselves the hassle and effort of playing two extra games in the Champions League after the turn of the year.
Atalanta will view this as a perfect opportunity to leapfrog Chelsea and climb into the top eight, and for their manager, Palladino, it means facing old friend Maresca. “Maresca? We played together, we're friends. I went to see him in England while I was out,” he told reporters.
Asked about the game itself, which comes on the back of a Serie A defeat to Verona, the Atalanta boss said: “We need to play the perfect game. We need mental clarity and the right attitude.
“The first to be disappointed are the players. I've seen both personal and technical responses; I'm dealing with a group of great men. We need to move on, and from the final training session, I've seen some good responses. Our performances also depend on our attitude. The team must be very enthusiastic.”
De Ketelaere on controversial reaction
Atalanta star Charles De Ketelaere had some controversy to clean up in the pre-match press conference, after he launched his jacket, seemingly in response to being substituted in the Verona game.
"I was angry about the performance, not the substitution," the Belgian explained. "I feel responsible for the team's performance."
Palladino didn’t seem to hold any bad blood over the situation, either, saying of the Belgian who was set beside him “He's a fantastic player. I give him freedom because he's incredibly talented, and I go crazy for talented players like him."
Asked about Gianluca Scamacca, another of Atalanta’s star men, he added: "He's increased the intensity in training. His performances are always improving. He's a player on the rise, a great professional. His performances are measured by training. He needs to improve his attack on goal; he needs to play for goals, not just to set up his teammates. He needs to have that determination."
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