Raffaele Palladino has insisted he would not change his tactical approach despite seeing Atalanta suffer a heavy 6-1 home defeat to Bayern Munich in their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 first-leg clash on Tuesday night.
The Italian side were comprehensively outplayed in Bergamo as Bayern produced a ruthless attacking display to take firm control of the tie.
Goals from Josip Stanišić, Michael Olise, Serge Gnabry, Nicolas Jackson, Jamal Musiala and Mario Pašalić sealed a dominant victory for the Bundesliga giants.
Palladino praises Bayern quality
Speaking after the match, Palladino admitted that the difference in individual quality between the two squads played a decisive role in the result.
“Firstly let’s congratulate Bayern. A very strong team, at times they were truly unplayable,” Palladino told Sky Sport Italia.
“For us, the best player was our fans. I want to thank them. They cheered us on until the very end despite the defeat.”
Despite the heavy scoreline, Palladino believes the experience will ultimately benefit his players.
“It’s an experience that will make us grow. I would go about it in the same way if we were to play again,” he added.
No plans to change system
Palladino also confirmed that he has no intention of abandoning Atalanta’s man-to-man system, even though it was exposed by Bayern’s attacking quality.
“We’ve come this far because we’ve had this mentality and we won’t change that,” he said.
“We won’t defend zonally, we accept the result and either we win or we learn.”
The coach also pointed to Bayern’s technical level as a major challenge.
“I’ve never seen players with these qualities. They always give the ball on the preferred foot and at the right speed.”
Focus shifts to Inter clash
Attention now turns back to domestic action, where Atalanta face another difficult test against Inter Milan at San Siro in Serie A this weekend.
Palladino remains confident his side will respond positively.
“The team has always reacted well to defeats and we will react as early as Saturday,” he said.
“We’re facing a strong team again in Inter, but the players have to accept the result and recover their energy.”