“He seems like a different player”: Charles De Ketelaere receives praise from coach and Italian media after an important goal in the Europa League

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Things are getting better for Charles De Ketelaere in Italy. Our 22-year-old compatriot is an undisputed basic player at Atalanta and on Thursday evening he already scored his second goal for the club from Bergamo. His coach and the Italian media are full of praise.

De Ketelaere broke the ban for Atalanta against Raków Częstochowa on Thursday evening. With a striking header on an excellent cross from Zappacosta, he put the redeeming 1-0 on the board. In the end it became 2-0 through Ederson and CDK almost made it 3-0.

7,5 op 10

In La Gazzetta dello Sport our compatriot receives a 7.5 out of 10 for his match, the highest score of all. “Not only the goal, but his constant involvement in the game and completely different attitude: Charles De Ketelaere seems like a different player in Bergamo,” said the Italian press. Furthermore, people talk about “the rebirth” of De Ketelaere. “Gasperini (Atalanta-coach, red.) gambled by signing the unluckiest player of the 2022-2023 Serie A and immediately got his money’s worth.”

De Ketelaere: “I feel good here”

Charles De Ketelaere is flourishing and was happy with his performance, but also had some self-criticism after the match. “The team and I could have scored even more,” he said. “But they took the ball off the line twice. Still, I am satisfied with my goal and that we are starting the Europa League in this way. Has the coach changed my confidence? I feel good here, yes.”

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Gasperini: “Charles played a great match”

He started in ‘the pocket’ on the right behind striker Luis Muriel, later in the match De Ketelaere himself became the deep striker. “I can play in all attacking positions,” said CDK. His coach also sees it as a big advantage. “Charles played a great match,” coach Gian Piero Gasperini praised. “He did very well as a deep striker in the second half. I don’t think he is a pure deep striker, but with his qualities he can fulfill that function well when necessary.”

“He is a very young boy and still has a lot of room to grow,” Gasperini continued. “He starts from a good base and I like his attitude.” Italian media are keen to make comparisons with Atalanta legend Josip Ilicic, who scored 60 times and provided 44 assists in 173 appearances for the club, due to his similar stature and playing style. “Sometimes it seems like these guys can have a slightly lazy attitude, but that’s not the case. They are large and need to be in top condition to perform at their best. De Ketelaere is not lazy, on the contrary: he always makes himself available to the team,” concludes the Atalanta coach.

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After five games for Atalanta, which rents him with a purchase option from AC Milan, De Ketelaere already has two goals and an assist. Last year at Milan he didn’t score a single time. CDK also proved decisive for the Red Devils with a great goal against Estonia. So it seems he has left.

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