Atalanta Faces Challenging Season Start Post-Europa League Triumph

Atalanta's coach Gian Piero Gasperini acknowledged that the team is less competitive post their Europa League win. Facing injuries and key player departures, the club's readiness for the upcoming UEFA Super Cup and Serie A is in question. Gasperini remains hopeful for new recruits before the transfer window closes.

Europa League champions Atalanta find themselves less competitive now than a few months ago, admits coach Gian Piero Gasperini. The team triumphed in the Europa League final in May with a 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in Dublin.

As they prepare to face Champions League winners Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup in Warsaw on Wednesday, Gasperini cautioned Bergamo club fans against high expectations for the season's start. "It's inevitable that it's turned out like this, but at this moment, the season has already become complicated," he told the local paper, l'Eco di Bergamo.

The 66-year-old coach confirmed central midfielder Teun Koopmeiners is set to join Juventus, compounding the woes from serious injuries to Giorgio Scalvini and Gianluca Scamacca. Gasperini was hopeful new recruits would arrive before the transfer window closes, stating, "Honestly, I'd hoped to find myself going into a game as important as the European Super Cup with more of a defined and settled team, having improved with new additions after the Europa League final victory." Atalanta begin their Serie A season at Lecce on Aug. 19.

(With inputs from agencies.)