Atalanta Bergamo caused a stir in the spring by winning the Europa League title. The club from northern Italy, YB's upcoming opponent in the Champions League, impresses with its consistency and attack.
When a football fan hears "Nerazzurri", they are likely to think of Inter Milan in most cases. But there are also others, the "little Nerazzurri". They come from the Alpine town of Bergamo, around 50 kilometers north-east of Milan, and represent the club Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio on the pitch.
The club was named after Atalante, a bear-raised huntress and sportswoman from Greek mythology. She demanded that an admirer who wanted to marry her beat her in a race. If he failed to do so, she simply killed the lover. A fate that, according to history, befell many.
Atalanta Bergamo were not quite as merciless, but just as self-confident in the last Europa League campaign. The team beat Sporting Lisbon, Liverpool and Marseille in succession in the knockout phase and met the previously undefeated Leverkusen in the final. There, the Italians made short work of their heraldic heroine, inflicting the Germans' only defeat of the season with a 3-0 win in Dublin. Even Granit Xhaka was lost for words. The Swiss said after the game: "Compliments to Atalanta. That's it."
Failure at Inter, success at Atalanta
For Atalanta, it was only the second title win in the club's history after winning the cup in 1963. However, it would be wrong to put this down to a short-term whim of nature. In the championship, the team has finished in the top five five times in the last seven seasons and has never finished lower than eighth. In May, the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" appropriately described the club as "the biggest little one in Italy".
The run of success has a lot to do with coach Gian Piero Gasperini, who has been at the helm of the Bergamo side since 2016. He, of all people, was the one who failed miserably at the big Nerazzurri in 2011. Gasperini was only allowed to coach five games at Inter Milan before being released again in September, 46 days after his first competitive match.
After this brief intermezzo, Gasperini even managed the feat of being relieved of his duties twice in the space of five weeks at Palermo. Because his successor failed to make an impact, the club brought Gasperini back, only to sack him a second time shortly afterwards. Gasperini went on to play for Genoa before landing in Bergamo with the little Nerazzurri and finding his fortune after all.
Attacking football as a trademark
Gasperini is often described as a "system coach". In other words, someone who sticks to an overall strategy instead of focusing on the individual strengths and weaknesses of his players. Critics say that this makes a team easier to predict and makes it much more difficult for the coach himself to intervene spontaneously in the game.
In fact, Gasperini has always had his team play in an attacking 3-4-3. However, his consistent success, which has occasionally brought the club valuable income from the European Cup, proves him right. A patent remedy against Atalanta has not yet been found.
The attacking football of the now 66-year-old Gasperini is effective and spectacular. With 34 goals this season, Atalanta also have the best offense in the league so far. Conversely, the team has a reputation for not always being solid defensively, which is also reflected in the 16 goals conceded. The situation is different in the Champions League, where Atalanta are one of only two clubs not to have conceded a goal after four rounds. The other is... Inter Milan.
New self-image in Bergamo
With their successes, the small Nerazzurri have gradually stepped out of the shadow of the Italian flagship clubs. Atalanta's shortcoming, the long absence of titles, was eradicated with the Europa League triumph. There is a new self-image in Bergamo, which also radiates to the players. So it came as no surprise when Mateo Retegui, one of the most sought-after strikers in Serie A and a hopeful for the Italian national team, moved to Bergamo in August. It is the result of the continuous development towards a top club, for which the merciless Atalante would probably also have liked to play.
Incidentally, she had to submit to fate after all and marry a man despite swearing eternal virginity. A cunning suitor, who had previously asked the goddess of love Aphrodite for help, dropped three golden apples during the race with Atalante. Because she picked them up, he was able to win the race.
The Young Boys will also need cunning and perhaps a little divine help when they face Atalanta Bergamo on Tuesday.
SDA
