Atalanta must believe they can win the Serie A title, manager Gian Piero Gasperini said after Sunday’s 4-0 thrashing of Juventus moved them within three points of leaders Inter Milan, whom they host next week.
Atalanta produced an outstanding performance to claim victory at the Allianz Stadium and move up to 58 points in third place ahead of a vital home game for their Scudetto hopes against holders Inter.
“We must never stop them dreaming. We may say it’s impossible, but if you believe enough, things can become possible,” Gasperini told reporters.
“We know Inter and (second-placed) Napoli are two excellent teams, we have lost our last seven in a row against Inter, but that too might be a signal.
“We had never reached this stage of the season in the running for the top spot, so you never know.”
The Italian was delighted to see his side end Juventus’ five-game winning streak in the league, as Atalanta recorded their most resounding win in Turin.
“The result speaks for itself, for us it’s a sensational result. It’s difficult to imagine such a victory on the eve of the game, given Juventus’ winning streak,” Gasperini said.
“It was an almost perfect performance, because we missed a few too many goals. Today we played a great game.”
Gasperini praised striker Ademola Lookman for scoring his 13th Serie A goal, weeks after calling the Nigerian “one of the worst penalty takers he has ever seen” following their Champions League exit to Club Brugge.
“People may have different views. Lookman became a fantastic player when he thought more about the team,” he said.
“He made Atalanta great and Atalanta made him great. I’m convinced that in the end he’ll wear the captain’s armband so he’ll have Atalanta on his skin”
