Gasperini Responds After Lookman Called Him Out, Aims Dig at CAF POTY
- Atalanta head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has spoken after Ademola Lookman called him out
- Gasperini ignited a feud with the Super Eagles forward after Atalanta's 3-1 UCL loss to Club Brugge
- The manager refused to accept responsibility and instead blamed the attacker for his reaction
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Atalanta head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has spoken for the first time since he publicly criticised Ademola Lookman and the attacker fired back at the manager.
Atalanta were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League during the knockout playoffs after losing 5-2 on aggregate to Belgian opposition Club Brugge.
Source: Getty Images
Gasperini singled out Lookman for blame after the 3-1 home loss in the second leg and the Nigerian star responded to his manager with a social media statement.
Gasperini responds to Lookman's reaction
Gasperini speaking ahead of Atalanta’s trip to face Empoli in the Serie A has responded to Lookman's statement, failing to take responsibility for his words.
“Lookman? He felt offended, but I didn't want to offend anyone,” he said as quoted by Sports Face. “He came in an extraordinary way, his gesture, even if generous, doesn't change what my idea is.
“He can become a penalty taker, it would be an additional scoring ability. I almost have the feeling that there is the will for Atalanta to be described as being like this, everything up in the air, but the reality is a bit different.”
“I always speak in front of the whole team, it's something that has never touched the club,” he added.
According to Football Italia, there was an incident during Lecce vs Udinese when Lorenzo Lucca took a penalty off designated Florian Thauvin, and even though he scored, he was substituted immediately.
Gasperini made reference to the incident claiming “there were guys who let it go”, suggesting he was expecting Lookman to do the same.
“Yesterday in Lecce-Udinese we had what could have been a worldwide spectacle, luckily there were guys who let it go. I would have liked a strong player like him to have made a gesture towards De Ketelaere saying 'come on, keep the ball, put it in',” he concluded.
Source: Getty Images
The manager's comments and citing the Lecce-Udinese incident is a false equivalence as they are different situations and he was only trying not to take responsibility.
Lookman did not create a fuss to take the penalty, Lucca did. Lookman admitted that the designated taker allowed him to, but Thauvin did not want Lucca to.
His expectations of wanting Lookman to pass the penalty to the person who gave him are gimmicks that do not explain the situation which happened during the incident.
The situation is expected to gain more clarity in the coming weeks, with the Super Eagles forward expected to leave the club in the summer.
Eto'o sends message to Lookman
Legit.ng reported that African football legend Samuel Eto'o sent a message to Lookman after Gasperini publicly called the Nigerian the worst penalty taker he's ever seen.
The four-time African Footballer of the Year encouraged the Super Eagles star, claiming only those who have the courage to take penalties can miss them.
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Source: Legit.ng
