Mattia Caldara explains the secret to Gian Piero Gasperini’s transformation of Atalanta was a ping-pong table and the wisdom of Michael Jordan.
The coach arrived in Bergamo in 2016 and inherited a club accustomed to battling against relegation and occasionally losing that fight, slipping into Serie B.
Within a few short years, he had turned them into a regular participant in the Champions League, reaching the Coppa Italia Final twice.
“This place is worth a Ferrari, but it is being used like a FIAT 500,” was the phrase Gasperini used in one of his first meetings with the squad.
This is the memory passed on by Caldara, who would go on to leave in 2017 for Juventus, Milan and eventually Venezia.
“None of us could see it, but Gasperini could. Without even realising, our mentality was changing.
“After every victory, he would tell us, remember that safety is not our objective,” explained Caldara on Cronache di Spogliatoio.
“He would pin up motivational phrases in the locker room, like one from Michael Jordan about failing repeatedly, which is why he eventually had success.
“Our mentality was mutating in front of our eyes. We all had minimal Serie A experience, were young and without children.
“We set up a ping-pong table in the middle of the dressing room, players would arrive an hour-and-a-half before the training was scheduled to begin, so we’d have these epic ping-pong tournaments.
“This is how we became a family, this is how Atalanta took flight. We understood each other with just a glance. That is rare in a team.”
Gasperini now has 255 competitive matches under his belt on the Atalanta bench, in which he amassed 134 victories, 64 draws and 57 defeats.
His side scored 510 goals and conceded 309.
Atalanta are currently fourth in the Serie A table on 22 points from 12 rounds, while they are still in a good position to advance into the Champions League knockouts for the third year in a row.
Caldara racconta l’Atalanta dei miracoli: “Il ping-pong ci ha unito, sfide all’ultimo colpo” https://t.co/FJhcY7eeHE
— TUTTOmercatoWEB (@TuttoMercatoWeb) November 17, 2021
INter* no Juve…… you kids how a good sense but lack sometimes.
what a team gasp has created. People should support clubs like Atalanta that have risen from nowhere rather than Juve and Real Madrid who have money grabbing owners in Florentino Perez and Andrea Agnelli