As the 2017/18 campaign got underway, Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini was keen to be realistic. The previous season saw the veteran coach almost fired after a disastrous opening few games, before his decision to turn to the club’s youngsters paid off in spectacular fashion. Under his tutelage, the Bergamo-based side went on to score a club record 72 points by the end of the season, enough to secure them a place in the Europa League.
As Sassuolo had proved in 2016/17, the rigours of playing European football can weigh heavy on teams with a small squad, their early exit from the competition combined with poor league form having provided a stark warning for La Dea. “As far as I’m concerned I have the ambition to put the Europa League in front of the league,” said Gasperini to Radio Anch’io after they qualified for the competition.
It was a wise sentiment from the 59-year-old, especially as Atalanta inevitably lost some of their key young players over the summer. Midfielder Franck Kessie had been courted by Premier League clubs but eventually opted to join AC Milan, while 23-year-old Italian international right-back Andrea Conti made the short trip from Bergamo to join him.
Responding to adversity with a carefree attitude had become a trademark of Atalanta’s 2016/17, and this season has been no different. Gasperini is an expert in bringing the best from his players, their united spirit a key factor in continuing to defy expectations. Now at just over the halfway point of the campaign, his side are fighting on three separate fronts, something that few really expected after they had overachieved to reach Europe in the first place.
In a month’s time, they will face Borussia Dortmund in the first knockout stage of the Europa League, having topped a group no-one thought they would get out of. Group E contained both Everton and Olympique Lyonnais, and La Dea were forced to play their home games 120 miles away at Sassuolo’s Mapei stadium, their own ground not meeting the required regulations. None of that fazed the team or the supporters though, as they travelled in numbers to roar the side to success.
They would beat the Merseyside outfit with a combined score of 8-1 over both the home and away fixtures in the group, their crowning glory of an unbelievable qualifying campaign. They could be forgiven, therefore, for letting their league form slip as a result, but this has most certainly not been the case. Gasperini has led the Bergamo-outfit to seventh position in Serie A, with recent wins over Milan and Roma cause for celebration.
An incredible first-half performance at Stadio Olimpico saw the Bergamaschi truly showcase their self-belief, attacking Roma at will in a match that they would normally be expected to lose. Their carefree “anything is possible” mantra was on full display as they ripped the Giallorossi apart, racing to a 2-0 lead before half-time. Playing with ten men in the second half meant they were forced to adopt a more cautious approach, but they hung on to take the three points regardless.
A look at their league statistics provides an interesting insight into how this team have managed to pull off such surprise results, sitting second only to Crotone in number of tackles per game with 19.2. Winning possession of the ball back at all costs is certainly essential to how the Bergamaschi play, also fifth highest in Serie A in terms of interceptions per match (13).
As if that wasn’t enough, Gasperini’s men beat Napoli to put them into a Coppa Italia semi-final with Juventus, an incredible feat that saw supporters rush to Bergamo airport to greet their heroes when they arrived after touching down from their flight from Naples that night.
“We didn’t change our style, we played our game with our usual characteristics, even if we changed a few members of the starting XI,” Gasperini told RAI after that superb victory. “It’s a fantastic achievement to reach the Coppa Italia Semi-Final here in Naples and now the season becomes meatier. Undoubtedly the lads deserve the credit, as they are extraordinary for their professionalism and the way they’ve developed the last few years, both young and less young.”
Staying true to their style and working hard is very much the key to Atalanta’s success so far. How far they can go in the second half of the season as the rigours of three competitions kicks in is unclear, but it would be unwise to ever write them off, as last season certainly proved.
