Atalanta boss Palladino admits he spent time in England studying Chelsea with Enzo Maresca
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Atalanta head coach Raffaele Palladino admitted that he spent some time with his Chelsea counterpart Enzo Maresca and his assistant Roberto Vitiello in England ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash.
Palladino was appointed as Atalanta's new head coach in early November, just a day after the sacking of his predecessor, Ivan Juric.
He previously left Fiorentina at the end of last season by mutual consent, which was a surprise, after leading them to a sixth-place finish in Serie A and qualifying for the UEFA Conference League.
Apparently, after leaving Fiorentina, he spent his time in England with old friends Maresca and Vitiello, who currently work at Chelsea.
Palladino insisted that while it has given him some insights into Chelsea's system, it does not guarantee anything against the "complete" English side.
"I was in England during my downtime to learn English, and I took the opportunity to watch a few Premier League games," the Atalanta boss said on Monday.
"I saw Arsenal, I saw Chelsea. I was with Enzo Maresca and Roberto Vitiello, who are friends, by the way.
"I played with Enzo at Juventus, and over the years, we've stayed in touch,b but we've always had an excellent relationship.
"What kind of match do I expect? I expect a strong Chelsea, as I said, a team with great individuality, strong players; it's a complete team in all departments.
"I've studied them, but studying them doesn't mean winning the match. If you study them, you can know some more details, and certainly, today, we tried to take care of every little detail."
Being close friends, Maresca likely understands Palladino's football, as well, so this works both ways.
Atalanta, who sit 10th in the Champions League table, are currently level on points with seventh-placed Chelsea, and are only behind on goal difference.
Neither team are heading into this game with a positive result. Chelsea were held by Bournemouth to a goalless draw at the weekend, while Atalanta suffered a 3-1 defeat to Verona.
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.