Empoli’s Coach Praises Atalanta as Role Model Before Serie A Clash

As Empoli prepares to face Atalanta in the 17th round of Serie A, coach Roberto D’Aversa shared his thoughts on the challenging match ahead. Speaking at a press conference, D’Aversa acknowledged Atalanta’s exceptional form and the difficulty of the upcoming game.

“Atalanta is in outstanding form, and we’re facing a very tough match,” D’Aversa stated. “We need to be prepared for a challenging encounter. Gasperini has elevated this team to great heights. While it’s unfortunate that we’re dealing with some injuries, we’re confident in our ability to challenge them. We’re not facing a small-town team, but a formidable opponent.”

D’Aversa drew parallels between his team’s progress and Atalanta’s success: “Considering our starting point, I believe my players are achieving, proportionally, what Atalanta has accomplished. They have a highly skilled coach, and Atalanta serves as an inspiration for us. They’ve demonstrated the ability to maximize player potential and maintain, even improve, quality with numerous alternatives.”

The Empoli coach emphasized the importance of learning from Atalanta’s model, particularly in youth development: “In the future, we should follow their example in terms of structure and how to utilize the youth sector effectively.”

Regarding player availability, D’Aversa provided updates on key squad members. He confirmed that Fazzini would be available for the match but not as a starter, while Grassi is still being evaluated but is training consistently, though not yet fit for a full 90 minutes.