Atalanta sit fourth in Serie A after 16 rounds of fixtures, the best start since Gian Piero Gasperini took over at the Gewiss Stadium.
The 3-2 win over Napoli helped Milan and Inter surpass the Partenopei and Atalanta are not four points behind the leaders.
The Orobici have strengthened their position in the top four with a gap of nine points down to Roma at fifth and it’s the first time Gasperini sits in the top four after 16 rounds of fixtures.
Gasperini has helped Atalanta to the Champions League and the Orobici have qualified for the knockout stages in their first two seasons in the competition but are still fighting to make it three in a row.
But there are encouraging signs of continuity and further growth in Serie A, as Gasperini’s men are still in the fight for the Scudetto.
Atalanta’s positions after 16 games under Gasperini:
2016-17: 6th, 28 points (finished 4th and qualified for the Europa League)
2017-18: 8th, 23 points (finished 7th and qualified for the Europa League qualifiers)
2018-19: 7th, 24 points (finished 3rd and qualified for the Champions League)
2019-20: 6th, 28 points (finished 3rd and qualified for the Champions League)
2020-21: 5th, 29 points (finished 3rd and qualified for the Champions League)
2021-22: 4th, 34 points
Pity they can’t defend, because if they could, they could easily win the league at least once over the last few seasons. And a deep run in the CL wouldn’t be out of the question either.
But they’re too porous at the back, especially in Europe.
If they can get Demiral and Milenkovic (who’ll be cheaper with 1 year left) next summer, then they’d have a proper base to launch from.
Napoli coach Spalletti’s comments notwithstanding, Atalanta had to fight to beat a Napoli team that was missing five of its starters. It’s a long season, and for me, the jury is still out.
Ferban – do you even watch their games? Palomino is arguably the best defender in Italy right now. Their “problem” is their style of play. It is not conducive, nor meant, to win games 1-0. They know they are going to concede, but the objective is to score more than the other team. If they played a proper 4 at the back they’d have perhaps the best defense in Italy with international-quality depth. But that’s not their style. Simple. Hence why a player like Demiral can score on a breakaway yesterday. Makes for entertainment and more often than not wins, but results in goals conceded as well.