Atalanta head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has described Ademola Lookman’s performance in the 3-3 draw at Juventus as extraordinary.
Lookman continued his impressive form in front of goal after bagging a brace and also providing an assist in the six-goal thriller.
The Super Eagles star now has 11 goals in his debut season in Serie A and is second in the top scorers chart behind Victor Osimhen.
And reflecting on the thrilling clash, Gasperini praised his players for their battling display.
“Lookman had an extraordinary performance. We conceded two goals in the first half by losing the ball pretty cheaply, and those are situations where we should’ve been more careful,” Gasperini told DAZN.
“We always had character and quality, even in games where the results were a bit like tonight. I saw a definite growth from the start of the season, partly because of the freshness and personality of these lads who arrived. If you come to Turin just to defend, you will probably lose on a penalty or free kick. I always believe you need to score goals in these games or you don’t get a result.”
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The coach was asked if the trio of Boga, Lookman and Rasmus Hojlund can be compared to the legendary Atalanta attacking three of Duvan Zapata, Papu Gomez and Josip Ilicic.
“The characteristics are completely different, especially as Duvan Zapata is very physical, whereas Hojlund is just 19, he will grow. Papu and Ilicic had extraordinary technique, whereas Boga and Lookman prefer pace. If we score as many goals, I don’t mind!”
On whether Atalanta are contenders for a top four finish:“In the years we qualified for the Champions League, we didn’t know at the start what our target was, we just earned it along the way by seeing how competitive we were. That is the same this year. Of course, our position is good now, but there’s a long way to go yet. Nobody is holding back if we do, but this is a very strange campaign where we don’t know what will happen.
“Frankly, I am not happy when tables are changed during a season, I prefer it to be done at the start or the end, otherwise there is little credibility.”
