Article by Raffaele (@ItalianoCalcio)
Last season’s surprise team was Sassuolo. The small club from Reggio-Emilia surprised everyone and qualified for the Europa League. This season’s version of Sassuolo has been Atalanta. Just two years ago they finished only three points out of the relegation zone. Now they are only two points out of a Europa League spot. Atalanta entered this season with a new coach; Gian Piero Gasperini and expectations were uncertain. Fast forward a few months later and Gasperini is a strong candidate for Coach of the Year.
Atalanta has had an impressive season, beating the likes of; Napoli (twice), Torino, Roma, and Inter by a combined score of 8-3. Atalanta’s fans celebrated their team’s win over Napoli in Naples a few weeks ago like they won the scudetto. It was a huge win for Atalanta and their fans and you were able to see how much it meant to all of them. At one point Atalanta won six straight games, and had a 9-game unbeaten streak. Atalanta are in the top eight for most goals scored and for fewest goals conceded in Serie A.
People are always looking for the next young, up-and-coming talent in football. Look no further than in Bergamo. Franck Kessie (20 years old) has become one of the most coveted young talents in football. Kessie is a box-to-box midfielder with the ability to play in front of his defense or make that key pass in attack. Mattia Caldara (22 years old) has been a wall defensively and also has scored 5 goals, always a plus from your defender. Caldara has been so good this season that Juventus bought him in January for €15M + bonuses. This is Kessie and Caldara’s first season playing in Serie A and both have acclimated themselves right away.
Andrea Petagna (21 years old) once played for Milan, then played in Serie B, and was almost ready to quit football altogether. Now the Italian striker is leading Atalanta’s attack and is catching the attention of Italy coach Gianpiero Ventura. Andrea Conti (23 years old) has proven to be a versatile defender, able to play as a wingback or in a back-four. Leonardo Spinazzola (23 years old) has also had a very good season. Spinazzola is owned by Juventus and if he keeps up this good play, he could be playing in Turin next season. Let’s not forget that Atalanta also had Roberto Gagliardini (22 years old) at the beginning of the season and then sold him to Inter in January for around €25 million.
With all the great, young talent Atalanta has, their leader remains Papu Gomez. The 29-year old Argentine has been with Atalanta since 2014 and is having his best season. Gomez has scored 9 goals and has 5 assists, leading the team in both categories. Papu Gomez has emerged this season as one of Serie A’s best personalities on and off the field, just check his Instagram account.
Whether or not Atalanta are able to qualify for the Europa League remains to be seen. What we do know is Atalanta is producing some of the best young talent in Italy. If you don’t know these young players, you better get familiar with them, they will soon become household names.
