Atalanta Coach Reacts to Ademola Lookman’s Performance After Serie A Draw Against Udinese

• Ademola Lookman has been commended for his performance against Udinese by Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini
• The Nigerian forward could not help Atalanta secure all valuable points in the tough draw on Saturday
• Gasperini hailed Lookman's defensive attributes as Atalanta dropped more points in the Serie A title race

Atalanta’s quest to win a first Serie A title suffered a massive setback after they were held to a disappointing draw by a resilient Udinese side on Saturday.

Gian Piero Gasperini’s side could not afford to break their opponent’s defense despite starting two of their in-form forwards Ademola Lookman and Charles De Ketelaere in attack.

According to Livescore, Atalanta could only manage two shots throughout the entire encounter as Udinese put up a physical display to suppress any form of attacking football from the Bergamo club.

Gasperini’s side were forced to defend almost all game and could have been dealt a heartbreaking defeat when former Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez almost gave Udinese the lead late in the game.

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The result meant Atalanta dropped to third on the Serie A table with 42 points from 19 matches, with Napoli and Inter Milan rising above them on the league standings.

Gasperini hails Lookman’s defensive shift

Despite Atalanta’s poor performance in the game, manager Gasperini has singled out Lookman for his defensive display in the game.

The reigning CAF Men’s Player of the Year was the arguably dirtiest player during Atalanta's goalless draw with Udinese in a Serie A, committing three fouls, more than any other player on the football pitch.

Gasperini was delighted to see the defensive side of Lookman’s game and lavished the Nigerian forward with praise after the disappointing goalless draw on Saturday.

"I am satisfied with the sacrifice of Lookman and De Ketelaere. They tried to do their best, even in defense.

"There are no criticisms to make about the commitment. We found a physical team that put us in difficulty," Gasperini admitted after the Serie A game.

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Lookman has failed to score or assist against six different teams this season, including Bologna, Venezia, Monza, Udinese (twice), Roma, and Cagliari.

Lookman misses chance to make history

Meanwhile, Lookman missed a crucial chance to enter the history books against Udinese after failing to find the back of the net in the crucial Seria A fixture.

The 27-year-old forward was looking to net his 50th career goal but was astutely kept silent all through the game by the Udinese defence.

Lookman, who has been in sensational form for Atalanta, has already scored a combined 11 Premier League goals, five in the German Bundesliga, and 33 in Serie A, bringing his total to 49 goals in Europe's top leagues.

Atalanta search for Lookman’s replacement

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Atalanta are reportedly looking for a replacement for Lookman who is reportedly on the radar of several top clubs in Europe.

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Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain have been strongly linked with an interest in the 27-year-old Super Eagles forward who has been one of the standout players in Atalanta in the last two seasons.

Source: Legit.ng