Atalanta coach Gasperini praises Juventus' Leonardo Spinazzola

14 mar 2019

Leonardo Spinazzola was one of Juventus' brightest sparks in his time on the field in the Bianconeri's 3-0 victory over La Liga outfit Atletico Madrid on Tuesday. Spinazzola, alongside the likes of Federico Bernardeschi, Blaise Matuidi, Joao Cancelo and Cristiano Ronaldo, helped overturn the 2-0 deficit suffered in the first leg in the Spanish capital.

Speaking on the topic of Spinazzola, who played his Champions League debut in the second leg on Tuesday, Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini has spoken to Tuttosport about the player he coached in the past:

"For me it was no surprise to see Spinazzola expressing himself at that level, I know what he can give. He has a speed, a change of pace that makes him special; combined with good technique. We are talking about a player who had already made his debut - he played in the Europa League last season and was then beaten by the injury, but had already reached important levels. When I was at Genoa I saw him at Perugia and I liked him a lot. In the summer I went to Atalanta and asked him to Sartori. Initially he made some mistakes, but after a few games out he came back and he never came out again. He can easily play in a four-man defense."

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