Atalanta coach Stefano Colantuono was disappointed by the Nerazzurri’s offensive display in the 0-0 draw away at Sassuolo on Saturday evening in Serie A, but saw positives in other parts of the pitch.
The Orobici did not put a single shot on target throughout the match, although they came very close to the goal in the second half when Cristian Raimondi struck the left post with a header.
“Sassuolo is a team with great quality in attack and we did not want to concede too much to them and we did that,” Colantuono told Sky Sport Italia.
Atalanta were missing regular starter Marcelo Estigarribia, who is sidelined after cruciate ligament surgery, while midfielder Luca Cigarini was handed a two-match ban for offensive remarks to the referee against Napoli.
“We need to recover some key players like Cigarini,” Colantuono said, “which is what will help the team grow and get back on winning terms.
“Maxi [Moralez] played in his role today, he has quality and sacrifices for the team.
“Today he did very well.”
Colantuono also praised Moralez’s partner in midfield Daniele Baselli, but said that goals are the ultimate criterion for evaluating the performance of offensive players.
“The goal is the essence of this sport and it is all that counts.
“We are working to get back to scoring.”
