Sky Sports pundit shares what Atalanta boss Gasperini did on the pitch after knocking Liverpool out last night
19/04/2024 09:00
Liverpool are out of the Europa League after being beaten 3-1 by Atalanta in the quarter-finals.
The Reds had high hopes of advancing and winning a competition they haven’t triumphed in for over 20 years.
However, Atalanta had other ideas. Led by their brilliant coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, the Italian side did the damage in last week’s first-leg at Anfield. 3-0 on the night and, as it turned out, tie over.
That win at Liverpool’s fortress could be the crowning moment of Gasperini’s distinguished coaching career. It even led to calls that he should be in the running to replace Jurgen Klopp as Reds manager.
As journalist Fabrizio Romano confirmed this week, that is not going to happen. However, you get the impression Gasperini won’t mind that too much. As his antics on the pitch after yesterday’s game revealed, he’s very happy where he is.
Gian Piero Gasperini revels in Liverpool exit
Gasperini did actually touch on reports linking him with the Liverpool job prior to Thursday’s game. The 66-year-old admitted to being delighted at seeing his name in the mix.
However, that doesn’t mean that he’s planning on leaving Atalanta any time soon. The Italian has been with La Dea since 2016. This is his club now.
And, according to Sky Sports pundit Jay Bothroyd, that really showed after the full-time whistle blew on Thursday.
Bothroyd claimed that Gasperini was so pleased at having advanced to the semi-finals, that he took off his jacket and launched it into the home crowd.
“It’s the first time they’ve reached a major semi-final since 1988, the fireworks are going off, the players are jubilant,” said the former England international.
“The manager actually said before the game if they win the tie he’s going to throw his coat in the stands. He did do that, [not] before he took his mobile phone out! It’s a fantastic night for Atalanta and they deserved it so credit to them.”
Liverpool should look to the ‘next Gasperini’
Clearly, Gasperini is not going to be Liverpool’s next manager. He’s perfectly embedded at Atalanta and the Reds have younger, probably better options.
One of those might well be a manager who has drawn plenty of inspiration from Gasperini, though.
Thiago Motta played under the veteran coach while at both Genoa and Inter Milan. Now thriving on the touchline with Bologna, Motta is reportedly under discussion for the Liverpool job.
The 41-year-old is not the front-runner by any stretch, but he’s in the mix. Citing Gasperini as a big influence on his coaching style, Liverpool could be getting the ‘next Gasperini’ if they hire Motta.
As for the original, he’s loving life in Bergamo.
