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Post by rugbytoffee on Sept 13, 2017 16:32:54 GMT
Gian Piero Gasperini hopes Atalanta can cause another upset with their Europa League debut against “typical English side” Everton. Their first European match in almost 50 years kicks off at the Mapei Stadium in Reggio-Emilia, which usually hosts Sassuolo, on Thursday at 18.00 UK time (17.00 GMT). “It’s a combination of emotions and we can’t wait,” smiled the Coach in his Press conference. “Having so many fans attending, even if we’re playing in Reggio-Emilia rather than Bergamo, can be an anomaly, but it does boost our confidence and if anything act as extra motivation. “We face every game to the best of our abilities, whether it’s in Serie A or the Europa League. In this phase of the season, every objective is important.” Atalanta are in a very difficult group alongside Everton, Olympique Lyonnais and Apollon Limassol. “Europe is a novelty for us and we’d like to get off to a strong start. The fact this is one of the toughest groups of the tournament isn’t an alibi, but it is an undeniable difficulty. “We are facing sides from the Premier League and Ligue 1, while the Cypriots are not outsiders at this level either. It’s a big ask, but we want to represent Serie A well. “Everton are a typically English side, very physical. When you face sides that finish sixth in the Premier League, it’s like Milan, Inter, Lazio or Fiorentina. We know it’s tough, but we want to play to the best of our abilities.” Atalanta sold off many of their biggest names this summer, having surprisingly reached fourth place last season. “We know that there is a massive economic difference between Serie A and the Premier League, let alone for a club like ours that is not accustomed to being in Europe. “We had to do without some elements, but others arrived. We have 11 new players, this means it’ll take a little time, but we are trying not to think about last season’s squad. Hopefully this one will give us satisfaction too.”
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Post by dorf on Sept 13, 2017 16:52:11 GMT
Not so sure after the Spur debacle. We're playing a lot worse than I thought so my confidence has dropped. Same here. Not sure Koeman is the right man to take us forward. I know it's only 3 or 4 league games but we look so dull. We were the same last season but Lukaku was the difference. If only we could find someone who can balance defensive football and attacking football.
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Post by rugbytoffee on Sept 13, 2017 18:24:27 GMT
Atalanta v Everton Europa League, group E Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia, 6pm, BT Sport 2 Nikola Vlasic last month tried to knock Everton out of the Europa League – now he hopes to shoot Ronald Koeman’s men to continental success. The 19-year-old lined up in both legs of Hajduk Split’s playoff tie with the Toffees in August, with the Croatian side eventually bowing out 3-1 on aggregate. Just a week after the second leg, Vlasic swapped his homeland for Everton in a deal that could eventually reach €10 million. The winger impressed Koeman in the Europa League clash with Hajduk and could now play in the competition for the Blues as they kick-off the group stage in Italy at Atalanta. “I’m really looking forward [to it],” Vlasic told evertontv. “I’ve never played in the group stage of the Europa League before, so it’s exciting. It is something new and a good challenge. “We need to forget about [Saturday’s loss to Tottenham] and look ahead, prepare ourselves and I hope we can get a good result.” Saturday’s 3-0 home loss to Tottenham was certainly an afternoon to forget for Everton. Deadline-day signing Vlasic came on to make his debut in the latter stages of the match and has already noticed the challenges posed by life in English football. “All the guys have been very good to me, they are all helping me a lot,” Vlasic added. “I watched these players before on television and now I’m out on the pitch with them. They can help me a lot. “I can only learn from them because they are very big players. It is very fast football here. The game moves faster and I need some time to adapt but I’m not afraid.”
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Post by rugbytoffee on Sept 14, 2017 10:28:47 GMT
Just like on Merseyside, the region of Lombardy contains two of world football’s most easily recognisable teams. Whilst Liverpool and Everton reside just across Stanley Park from each other, Milan and Inter are cross-city rivals who share their stadium. But just 37 miles away is another Serie A team named Atalanta, and they have been making a name for themselves of late. Forever in the shadows of the Milan clubs, the Bergamo-based outfit secured their first outing in Europe for 26 years at the end of last term, whilst also announcing that they had purchased their Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia from the local council. That move will see them become one of the only clubs in Italy’s top division to do so, which is more than can be said for Milan and Inter who rent the council-owned San Siro. Atalanta replaced Sassuolo as the “hipster side” for 2016/17 and Gian Piero Gasperini’s men defied all the odds to secure a fourth-placed finish by the end of the campaign. The credit went to the coach, who rolled the dice in introducing young and inexperienced players after early poor results almost saw him getting the sack. That gamble paid off spectacularly as they surprised everyone with their incredible The momentum built earned a Europa League berth, their reward for a season’s hard graft a lucrative group stage fixture with Everton. Whilst this success inevitably saw bigger clubs move in for their star youngsters – Roberto Gagliardini having joined Inter plus duo Franck Kessie and Andrea Conti leaving for Milan – their core philosophy remains. Twenty-two-year-old former Milan youth product Bryan Cristante is one of that group, having joined La Dea on loan at the beginning of the year. His words contain some warnings of what Atalanta must avoid, but the experienced Gasperini will be all-too-aware of the potential dangers. “The Europa League? The draw was a bit unlucky for us as we were paired with Lyon and Everton,” the youngster told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Facing big teams is challenging. Hearing Rooney’s name has a certain effect on you… That aside, we know we’ll be facing a great team, who have been near the top of the Premier League for several years.We’re studying their characteristics. It’s a pity, of course, not to be playing at our stadium after so many years of waiting to return to Europe. Still, I’m sure our fans will respond greatly.” Atalanta simply must not give the opposition too much respect and allow their band of youngsters to become overawed by the likes of Wayne Rooney. As Cristante outlined in his interview, they will play the match at Sassuolo’s stadium – which equates to a 120-mile drive for their supporters – after their own ground was deemed not up to regulation. At home last year the club’s Ultras became the twelfth man, propelling their side to victory. It is to be hoped, then, that this atmosphere will not be diluted by the location change. The Bergamaschi have endured a slow start to the season, having lost to Roma and Napoli in the opening two matches, but showed their tenacity after going 1-0 down to Sassuolo at the weekend and fighting back to seal a 2-1 victory. Alejandro “Papu” Gomez is worth looking out for, the striker and captain of the side having scored 16 goals and provided 10 assists last term. The eccentric frontman is yet to get off the mark in the current campaign, but has weighed in with two assists and created an average of 5.3 chances for team-mates. “Let’s hope we see a better Atalanta because we have been looking forward to this game for many years,” Gasperini told reporters after the win over Sassuolo. “We want a good performance. We have belief and we have to play better than in the second half today. There are a lot of people who will come to watch and we have all the right conditions to play a good game.” If his side can channel some of the energy and belief that saw them take six points from Napoli last term, then Everton can expect to be in for a good game indeed on Thursday evening. .thesportsman.com
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Post by rugbytoffee on Sept 14, 2017 11:20:07 GMT
After Tuesday’s update that only Leonardo Spinazzola was expected to miss Thursday evening’s Europa League clash against Everton, it seems Atalanta have received some bad news regarding a few of their key players.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport on Thursday, Josip Ilicic is now expected to miss the encounter, having picked up a left hip injury, a blow for the Serie A team, as the Slovenian playmaker is one of their few experienced stars, with 46 caps for his country.
Also unlikely to play the game is Robin Gosens who, on Tuesday, was expected to feature, but the Italian newspaper state the German left-back is unavailable.
With both him and Spinazzola out, there is an emergency situation at left-back, with right-back Timothy Castagne now probable to fill in the role for the game, meaning Hans Hateboer will start at in his stead on the other side.
This means Ronald Koeman could have an area to exploit on Thursday night, with someone like Adama Lookman capable of causing a full-back out of position some trouble.
With 4000 tickets at the disposal of Everton fans, Gazzetta state that 3516 have been sold so far, which is a stark increase on the 2000 or so that were announced as purchased a few days ago.
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