Maurizio Sarri said Atalanta should “stay quiet and apologize” to the club and its supporters after losing 3-0 to Parma. He described the defeat as difficult to explain given his team’s first-half performance.
Atalanta played one of its best spells of the season before conceding late in the half, Sarri said. The goal unsettled the team, which returned from the break emotionally flat and only began playing again in the final 20 minutes.
Sarri said the result was not justified by the match statistics, but pointed to what he called a clear lack of mental resilience. He rejected tactics as the cause, saying Atalanta had dominated the first half and lost the game through a mental and emotional breakdown.
The coach also criticized the team’s failure to convert chances and its lack of aggression in defensive situations. Atalanta, he said, had created promising opportunities without taking them in five consecutive matches, while recent goals conceded had come from avoidable situations.
Sarri urged the players to examine how a promising first half turned into such a heavy defeat and to rebuild their unity and positive emotions. He also defended the supporters, saying they had shown the team love during the match and that any boos at the final whistle would come from that same affection.
Sources: ANSA Sport.