Sarri content but cautious: "Monza win will give us fuel, but we lack confidence"

Sarri praised the away win over Monza but admitted his side lacked confidence in the first half before Krstovic's second-half goal settled the match.

Maurizio Sarri was pleased with Atalanta's victory at Monza but expressed reservations about his team's overall performance. Krstovic's second-half goal decided the match, giving the Bergamo side three points on the road.

Sarri acknowledged the win could provide a boost, particularly given Atalanta's injury crisis with 10 players unavailable. "It's a victory that can give us fuel," he said. "We've played many matches in few days with many players out. The few available we've worn out. We have 17 or 18 players available, including several from the youth academy."

However, the Atalanta manager was critical of his team's early approach. "In the initial phase we paid for some nervousness: we were tense, we weren't confident, we weren't doing the things we'd prepared," Sarri explained. "After 25-30 minutes Monza started to stretch things.

After we scored we understood there were spaces to play through. We played like a mentally insecure team in difficulty in the first half, different when we regained confidence in the second."

Sarri also highlighted a concerning pattern in front of goal. In their previous two matches, Atalanta created 18 chances but scored only one goal, while conceding four from five opponent chances. "Something in both boxes we're definitely getting wrong. The next step must be to exploit the chances we create with greater force," he concluded.