Views: 39

Ivan Juric spoke for the first time in a press conference as the coach of Atalanta. The Croatian expressed his excitement for the new role.

After the Gasperini era, the club decided to continue the work of the former coach and entrust the team to someone who knows that style of play well.

Atalanta, Juric’s Words

“We thank both, we wish the President a happy birthday, 72… I think there is a fantastic structure, Atalanta is a fabulous club, even looking at the sports center. The facilities are really beautiful, I am very excited.”

On playing principles and who fascinates him. “There are various coaches who have influenced others, it is clear that Gasperini has not only influenced me, but others in Serie A and abroad. Then, of course, there are different things and we will see during the season. There are many interesting players, I can’t wait to train them all.”

On Gasperini’s legacy. “Honestly, it doesn’t weigh on me, it’s better to come into an environment used to working well, that’s how it is. We crossed paths this morning, he said he doesn’t want to influence me too much.”

What kind of approach will he have with the dressing room? “I want to be myself, who I am. The usual approach, we will see how the boys are, it has become a great club, there are results, many positive things.”

How did he react to Atalanta’s phone call? “I think that’s how football is, five great years have been done, one bad season is enough to bring you down or start over. This is a wildcard, because I didn’t do well this season, now I have a great opportunity to do great things. It doesn’t happen often, usually the path is different.”

IVAN JURIC WITH THE EUROPA LEAGUE BALL IN HAND (PHOTO BY SALVATORE FORNELLI)

What kind of approach will he have with the dressing room? “I want to be myself, who I am. The usual approach, we will see how the boys are, it has become a great club, there are results, many positive things.”

On Gasperini’s legacy. “Honestly, it doesn’t weigh on me, it’s better to come into an environment used to working well, that’s how it is. We crossed paths this morning, he said he doesn’t want to influence me too much.”

On playing principles and who fascinates him. “There are various coaches who have influenced others, it is clear that Gasperini has not only influenced me, but others in Serie A and abroad. Then, of course, there are different things and we will see during the season. There are many interesting players, I can’t wait to train them all.”

Is Retegui with Scamacca feasible? “I haven’t thought about it yet.”

How does it feel to be with the whole club? “It was wonderful to meet them all, the first feeling is that it is a great family. They are very united, very direct, even the American part. It was nice to meet, talk, even his point of view coming from American sports.”

Similarities with Split? “There are none. I played a thousand times, I understand what environment I will find. For me, Split remains Split and is superior to any other.”

On the market. “Looking at the squad, it seems quite complete, there is no need to do much.”

What should Juric’s Atalanta be like, in one word? “Winning.”

GIANLUCA SCAMACCA REGRETFUL (PHOTO BY SALVATORE FORNELLI)

On Roma and Southampton. “A negative year in terms of results, a fantastic year in terms of knowledge, I feel much stronger than a year ago, I saw Roma, I learned a lot from great players. In Southampton, I appreciated a fabulous Premier League, I saw beautiful things, the Premier League remains the level of the players for me. They were two negative experiences, very positive in terms of my growth.”

On the objective. Hard to say, we want to continue on this path.

On what didn’t go well. “Two situations where you start over, with a different training method. I also had difficulty choosing where to go. For me as a coach, it’s essential to start from the beginning.”

On the league. “The different teams are getting closer.”

Who would you rather keep between Ederson and Lookman? “Both (laughing, ed.)”

On the market. “For now, I haven’t made any requests. Scamacca? We haven’t discussed it yet.”

On the Champions League. “No fear, but curiosity. It will be a great challenge for me too.”

On the banner that welcomed him. “I also want to see the shirt sweat, a team that presses, runs, wins. We are on the same page with the fans.”

On the differences with Gasperini. “There are different things in the attacking phase. Guardiola has his style, Gasperini has his, Sarri too. They have their disciples, people who are inspired, there are similarities but then everyone goes their own way.”

On his feelings. “There was great joy, we can do really well.”

On the bar. “There is this idea of a very high bar, Atalanta has become a great team, we must maintain this level, fight for it.”

On the formation. “There are players who can play multiple roles, like De Roon if placed in defense. These players are very important in a team.”

On Southampton. “Three bad months in terms of results, fantastic for knowledge. They use statistics much more, they pay attention to set pieces and I want to work on that more than in the past.”

On his former players who have played at Atalanta. “Zapata immediately recognizes the work culture, seeing how he trained and behaved, now he is reassuring me a lot.”

That’s how Ivan Juric, the new coach of Atalanta, expressed himself.