Celtic are gearing up for a European glamour tie.
In Wilfried Nancy’s first ever game in European competition, he faces Italian giants AS Roma, and their world-renowned manager, Gian Piero Gasperini.
Celtic fans might have heard Nancy waxing lyrical about his opposing manager ahead of the Europa League tie – and he is one of many to have done so.
Pep Guardiola said Gasperini’s Atalanta were ‘incredible, they can beat any team they want’. Jose Mourinho said he is the coach who has put him in ‘the most trouble’. Marco Baroni called him ‘the best coach of the last decade in Italy’.
So what’s all the fuss about? Here’s everything Celtic fans might want to know about ‘Gasp’, one of the most influential managers of the modern era.
Have you seen anything of Roma this season? What have you made of them?
Celtic’s opposing manager against Roma: Gian Piero Gasperini
Gasperini’s system resembles Nancy’s in terms of formation: He uses a 3-4-3, with one striker and two ‘number 10s’ playing off him.
But there are some differences between the pair – (or ‘nuances’, as Nancy would probably say).
READ MORE: How Wilfried Nancy has dealt with Celtic noise behind the scenes as Auston Trusty gives insight
Zonal marking was dominating defensive approaches until the last decade – but few have spearheaded the return of man-to-man defending as much as Gasperini.
His focus on intense, duel-based pressing has proven massively influential on modern ‘hybrid’ approaches that you’ll see at most teams in the Premier League.
Colombian striker Duvan Zupata said that he had never seen training with intensity like Gasperini’s, admitting that he initially thought to himself, “I cant do this.”
In possession, his teams may tend to dominate the ball, but never hesitate to go vertical when they can.
But more relevant than his tactics are the results that they have yielded. Sacked after just five league games at Inter Milan 15 years ago, Gasperini returned to Genoa for three years before undergoing his transformation of Atalanta.
He took a side which had been yo-yoing between the top two tiers to fourth place in his first season, qualifying the club for Europe for the first time in 26 years.
They continued to punch above their weight until things really became special – they finished third in Serie A for three consecutive years, finishing five points away from the summit in 2020, a season in which they also came minutes away from a Champions League semi-final.
Over the coming years, the club would sell players such as Cristian Romero, Rasmus Hojlund and Teun Koopmeiners to Europe’s elite for huge fees – but Gasperini stayed on board for the rebuild.
He lost three Coppa Italia finals, each time feeling like a bigger missed opportunity to win a trophy – but it was all made worth it when he won the Europa League in 2024.
That night in Dublin, Atalanta prevented Bayer Leverkusen from going an entire season unbeaten in all competitions with a 3-0 win, having battered Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool on the way.
Gasperini finally called time on his tenure in the summer, after another third-place finish. It’s early days for him in his new role at Roma, but you would never rule out more incoming success.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s classy moment before Celtic press conference
What Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy said about Gian Piero Gasperini
Nancy made sure to speak of his admiration for Gasperini ahead of the clash.
He said at his pre-match press conference: ““I respect Gasperini. I know what it’s like to experience certain matches.
“It’s an honour for me to play in the Europa League, but don’t forget that I reached the final of the CONCACAF Champions League. I know very well how to experience certain matches.”
“Gasperini is a coach I greatly respect for his playing style: he’s a coach I studied many years ago. I’m very excited for my European debut here at home and for this match.”
Here’s hoping Nancy can lead the Celts to an unlikely victory – but their play under pressure will be put to the test, of that there is no doubt.
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