Udinese 1-0 Atalanta: La Dea coach Juric admits ‘Negative performance’

Ivan Juric did not hide his frustration after Atalanta fell to a 1-0 away defeat to Udinese, with Nicolò Zaniolo’s strike deciding the match in Friuli.

Speaking to the media after the game, with quotes via TuttoMercatoWeb, the coach admitted it was the first time he had truly been disappointed by his team’s display since taking charge.

“For the first time, the performance was negative in every sense,” Juric said.

“For the first time since I’ve been here, I had bad sensations. We didn’t have good play or the right intensity in the duels. We have to work towards the next match and hope it doesn’t happen again.”

The Croatian coach also explained that the result wasn’t simply a question of fatigue, despite several changes to keep the side fresh.

“We know Udinese’s characteristics and made five changes to maintain freshness, but today it wasn’t the usual Atalanta,” he continued.

“With seven games in 21 days you have to use everyone. Perhaps we could have rotated more against Cremonese.”

Juric admitted no one stood out, including Gianluca Scamacca, and called for greater consistency from younger players.

“I didn’t see anyone playing well today,” he said.

“Zalewski has great talent, but he has to work hard and learn that talent isn’t enough. He can and must defend better to have a bigger impact going forward.”