Why I benched Ademola Lookman against Inter Milan- Atalanta coach Gasperini

Atalanta coach Gian Pero Gasperini has revealed that he rested Super Eagles forward Ademola Loomman in the Supercoppa Italia semifinal on Thursday due to the congested schedule, Soccernet.ng reports.

Atalanta squared off against reigning Serie A champions Inter Milan in the semifinal of the Supercoppa Italia on Thursday. And coach Gasperini made a surprising call, benching regulars like Ederson, Charles De Ketelaere, and Nigerian star Lookman.

The first half ended goalless, but it was very lively, with both teams combining for 18 goal attempts. However, the goals started entering in the second half.

Denzel Dumfries scored the opener in the 49th minute. That triggered a reaction, and Gasperini eventually decided to introduce Lookman, Ederson, and De Ketelaere in the 56th minute. But Dumfries scored again in the 61st minute to make it 2-0 to Inter Milan.

Atalanta thought they had pulled one back in the 72nd minute. But the referee canceled their goal due to an offside. Lookman had another good chance in the 90th minute, but his effort was saved.

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After the game, Gasperini was questioned on his decision to bench his best legs from the start of the game. But he stated that he had to rotate due to the congested schedule.

“De Ketelaere and Lookman cannot always play 90 minutes. All the players I used are from the first team and rarely from the start, like Brescianini, Zaniolo and Samardzic,” Gasperini said per Pazzidifanta.

“In the second half I wanted to stay in the game and make important changes. That was the strategy.”

In recent weeks, Gasperini has been rotating his squad a bit more, but the loss to Inter Milan was their first since September 2024.