La Dea won 2-0 on Monday night through goals from Marten de Roon and Nicolo Zaniolo.
"As long as we had the strength, we answered them blow for blow,” Ranieri told Sky Italia.
“It is not an excuse, don’t get me wrong, but we played in London on Thursday and returned at 5am. We recovered well, but they were able to make the appropriate changes, whereas I did not have a box-to-box midfielder, as Pisilli was suspended.
“I actually congratulated the lads, because at the start of the second half we had a big chance to take the lead, it’s a pity that Dovbyk couldn’t quite get his boot to it, as Dybala had broken their defence. There was another incident with Mancini who was so close in front of goal.
“These are moments where if you keep pushing, you will be able to turn those incidents your way. These are the classic games where a team like Atalanta – who we are all very proud of when we see them play in Europe – have everything required to challenge for the Scudetto. I don’t want to put extra pressure on Gasperini, but this team is ready and one of some truly tough sides up there at the top of the table.”
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