Gasperini Believes Atalanta Can Win When Villarreal Players Are Sent Off

Gian Piero Gasperini (Twitter @atalanta_bc)

JAKARTA - Gian Piero Gasperini said he was satisfied with Atalanta's draw against Villareal. However, he actually believed La Dea could win the game when Francis Coquelin got a red card.

"I thought it was a very good game, played well by both teams", Gasperini told Sky Sport Italia after Atalanta's 2-2 draw against Villareal in their opening Champions League game.

#MOLAMIA 🖤💙

𝙒𝙚 𝙉𝙀𝙑𝙀𝙍 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙪𝙥! 🤜🤛#VillarrealAtalanta #UCL #GoAtalantaGo ⚫️🔵 pic.twitter.com/LL9rbMYxQy

— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) September 14, 2021

"I'm satisfied, we played against a great team. We're sorry for the goal, but we played really well, especially in the first 30 minutes. We were strong enough to keep possession because if you lose too many balls against them they can punish you".

Former Arsenal player Coquelin was sent off after being shown a double yellow card in the 84th minute.

"I was sure we could have won it when we were one man ahead, then, in the end, (goalkeeper) Juan Musso saved us", Gasperini continued.

🎙 @musso_juan: "Abbiamo giocato ad altissimo livello"

🔝 Juan #Musso: "We played at a very high level"

📹 https://t.co/99CYVavcs5#VillarrealAtalanta #UCL #GoAtalantaGo ⚫️🔵 pic.twitter.com/hl3nS8Ttxx

— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) September 14, 2021

"The attacking players are very important, especially with five substitutes. Defenders can get tired because they don't usually get substituted, so sometimes those coming off the bench can cause problems for the defenders".

Currently, Young Boys lead the group after a shock 2-1 win over Manchester United.

"Young Boys have to be respected, it's never easy to play against them on artificial pitches", said Gasperini.