Atalanta 3 Bayer Leverkusen 0
When there is talk of the great managers Gian Piero Gasperini of Atalanta is rarely mentioned – certainly less so than Alonso of Bayer Leverkusen who have won the Bumdesliga and came to the Europa League Final in the Aviva Stadium Dublin on a 51 game unbeaten run.
Yet it was Gasperini’s Atalanta who emerged as easy winners thanks to a hat trick from a forgotten man of the Premiership Adel Lookman.
Lookman started at Charlton then moved to Everton, Fulham – where he is remembered for a failed Panenka-style penalty v West Ham – and Leicester City.
Another Premiership failure – Scamacca, once of West Ham, featured too for Atalanta.
Atalanta had beaten Liverpool (away) and Roma to reach the Final and immediately their high-pressing game found no answer from the crack German side.
I hear that Gasperini may now go to Napoli.
His only experience with a big club was a short spell at Inter Milan but finally his ability is recognised.
It looks like Thiago Motta will move from Bologna to Juventus and AC Milan have yet to replace Pioli once of Fiorentina.Claudio Ranieri now 72 has retired his managerial career beginning and ending at Cagliari and in between managing Greece and 20 club sides.
