New Atalanta coach Edoardo Reja says that he couldn’t turn down La Dea after being approached to manage the Serie A side.
The Bergamo outfit sacked previous coach Stefano Colantuono, whose long association with the club stretched to nearly five years, and appointed the Italian Reja to push the club away from the relegation zone – which Atalanta sit just three points above.
Speaking to his first press conference, ahead of the in-doubt trip to Parma, 69-year-old Reja stated: “When Atalanta called me, I could not say no.
“There is a passionate fan-base, professional staff, as well as an attentive and willing group of players at this club – the means for success are already there.”
Edy Reja became a stalwart of Italian coaching in the last 10 years, guiding Napoli back to competitiveness in Serie A and prospering at Lazio in two spells, and now joins a Nerazzurri side desperate to avoid their first relegation since 2009-10.
“There are few flaws in this side, just a little fear. I will assess them internally over the next few days but I can already tell that the back four is fixed and that we must regain balance in the team, especially in attack.
“At Lazio I played 4-3-3, but Colantuono used 4-2-3-1. I do not think I can change this approach in only two or three days, but we might play 4-4-2.
The veteran coach also discussed the players at his disposal, in particular striker German Denis: “He needs total confidence, as in recent years he has been exceptional. I tried to sign him for Lazio and Napoli in the past.”
