Gasperini admits confusion over Lookman substitution

epa12014147 Atalanta’s coach Gian Piero Gasperini looks on during the Italian Serie A soccer match Atalanta BC vs SS Lazio at Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy, 06 April 2025. EPA-EFE/MICHELE MARAVIGLIA

Gian Piero Gasperini confirms Ademola Lookman was replaced due to a misunderstanding against Lazio, but insists his Atalanta side can still turn things around in the last seven games of the season.

La Dea suffered a 1-0 home loss against Lazio on Sunday. In the second half, star striker Lookman was mistakenly subbed off, causing confusion.

“There was a mistake. Only Retegui was subbed to come off,” Gasp told DAZN after the game.

“Unfortunately, there was a misunderstanding between ‘Ede’ [Ederson] and ‘Ade’ [Lookman] and we paid a high price for it.

The Atalanta team manager misunderstood Gasp’s instructions, replacing the Nigerian forward instead of the Brazilian midfielder.

Gasp had said in yesterday’s press conference that he thought talk of their ‘collapse’ was exaggerated, but this was their third consecutive defeat, all without scoring a single goal against Inter, Fiorentina and Lazio.

“I believe the team put in a solid performance against a tough opponent,” Gasp continued.

“Judgements are always based on the result, which doesn’t reflect how the game actually went.

“There are seven games remaining. We can still achieve what we didn’t manage in the last three games if we play with the same intensity, spirit and desire to get a result. In football, you have to accept moments like this and respond. Everything is still possible.”

Gustav Isaksen came off the bench and was decisive this evening, as Fisayo Dele-Bashiru knocked down the long Christos Mandas pass for his teammate to seal the 1-0 result.

“There’s nothing to fault in terms of players’ efforts and performance,” Gasperini added.

“It wasn’t easy to keep Lazio under control for so long and put in a similar display. We’ve been struggling to score lately, and when opponents score on their first chance, the whole game is compromised. It’s hard to accept, but this is football.

Having been in the Scudetto race until a few weeks ago, Atalanta now find themselves nervously looking over their shoulders at the chasing pack if they want to hold on to third place. They are also without a single home victory in Serie A in 2025.

Gasp previously said he would not extend his Atalanta contract beyond June 2026, so DAZN asked if he had changed his mind.

“It’s not the right time to talk about this after such a game,” the Atalanta boss concluded.

“We have seven games remaining, and this is the most important thing. The rest is certainly less important.”