Coach Maurizio Sarri spoke to Sky Sports in preparation for tomorrow's match against Pafos in the Conference League. According to Sarri, the match will be "an important match, as always when European matches are played" and the Greek team "is stronger than the name it bears", thanks to the presence of numerous Portuguese and Brazilians. The coach warned that the match "will be tough" and that "there will be some suffering".
On the topic of defence, Sarri reported that midfielder Alessandro Scalvini is recovering for a few days. The player does not have a serious injury, but will be kept on break and "Milan will probably also miss". The coach underlined the importance of having all available players play, so that "everyone is involved" and that we can "compete with those we have". Sarri also recalled the return of David Luiz, with whom he had a long experience at Chelsea, calling him "an extraordinary boy and a very strong player" and underlining his "gigantic human depth".
When talking about recent matches, Sarri commented on the performance against Venezia, stating that he didn't "switch off in the second half". He explained that Venezia put all the players in difficulty, and that in the first half Atalanta had a high center of gravity which allowed them to regain heights and speed. In the second half, however, Atalanta "regained the ball at our edge of the area" and made errors in the counterattacks.
As for the formation, Sarri declared that he has "two options" and that "we will play them from time to time and within the same match". He also answered questions about the change in the hierarchies in attack, explaining that the "ballot is part of modern football" and that, given the 9 games in 26 days, "everything is normal". If journalists want to find hierarchies, Sarri said that "you will find them month after month".
Finally, Sarri commented on Atalanta's ranking, defining it as "based on past results and therefore of no importance". With the match against Pafos scheduled, Atalanta will have to face a strong and technical team, while Sarri continues to try to optimize his squad and tactics for the European and domestic matches.