Palladino thanks Atalanta for ‘a magical night’ of Champions League triumph

Raffaele Palladino thanked Atalanta for ‘a magical night’ on his Champions League debut, hammering Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0, and reveals the exercise that inspired his players.

The former Fiorentina coach had never overseen a game in this tournament, and only got his debut on the Atalanta bench in Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to Napoli in Serie A.

All the anxiety seemed to wash away with a dominant 3-0 result in Germany, sealed by Ademola Lookman, Ederson and Charles De Ketelaere.

“It couldn’t have gone better, it was a magical night,” Palladino told Sky Sport Italia.

“I want to thank the club for having faith in me, my staff, but first and foremost the players, because this is the victory of a great group of lads who deserved this satisfaction. I saw the intensity with which they were working the last few days, and they provided me with an unforgettable night.

“We needed a spark to shake things up, above all mentally, and now it arrived. It’s important to remain humble and get focused on Sunday’s game, which is going to be crucial.”

There had already been signs of a good performance in the second half against Napoli, and they built on that this evening in Frankfurt.

“There are always things to improve, but I see this team listening and following what we propose. We’ve only been together for a week really, because the internationals were away, and I’ve seen great progress,” continued Palladino.

“It was a tough match tonight against a quality opponent, as many big clubs have struggled in this stadium. We showed character, there were some difficulties in the first half hitting the woodwork twice, but we kept pushing.

“I am glad that we attacked and defended as a team, creating many scoring opportunities and could’ve easily had more goals. We needed this victory not just for the Champions League table, but for the confidence of these lads.

“I tried to bring some enthusiasm, as that is fundamental, but these players have so much quality, they know how to play football. I am not a magician, I just had to give them a little enthusiasm and let them enjoy their football.”

Palladino took over from sacked Ivan Juric just two weeks ago, during the break for international duty, and revealed how he managed to inspire the squad to break out of their funk.

“I usually don’t reveal what happens in the locker room, but it really meant something because the players did it. I asked for the DNA of Atalanta, and they each gave me an adjective that we should focus on. I heard some great things and we saw many of them this evening on the pitch,” he added.

“There were words like courage, joy, ambition, hunger, I hung the paper up in the locker room and those are all their own definitions of this team. I always say we must have the DNA of the city we represent, and that means humility, hard work and passion. I am sure we’ll do great things together, but we must maintain the mentality I saw this evening.”