by Xavier Jacobelli
Third consecutive victory in seven days (Monza, Fiorentina, Empoli); third Italian Cup final won in the last five years; excellent turnover; Unbridled lookman, El Bilal Touré increasingly inserted into Gasperinian schemes; two points nibbled away by Roma, with a match to recover and the direct clash with the Giallorossi to be played in Bergamo, Sunday 12 May. Definitely, Atalanta had the perfect week and can now focus on Marseille which awaits them on May 2nd at the Vélodrome.
Gasperini has several good reasons to say he is satisfied. On the eve of the match, the coach had warned how much the match against Empoli could have been a trap, if the team had not faced it with the right concentration, regardless of the 26 points more than Nicola’s Tuscans, in full recovery after the victory over Napoli. However, it is clear that the successful rotation of the owners, drawing on a qualitatively and quantitatively first-rate workforce, once again proved to be the key to achieving such a precious success.
Because, in the meantime and despite the efforts accumulated in the last period, this same week Roma was the protagonist of a great reaction to the home defeat against Bologna, suffered last Monday. Three days later, Cristante scored 3 golden points in Udine’s recovery and the golden point earned in Naples after having risked losing, catching the Neapolitans at 2-2 thanks to Abraham’s first goal and with the great good news about Ndicka’s return to the field, once the great scare experienced in Friuli has passed.
There’s no denying it: if April was a month worth remembering, May promises to be even more exciting for the Goddess: in Marseille on May 2nd; in Salerno on 6 May; Marseille in Bergamo on 9 May; Roma in Bergamo on 12 May; Juve at the Olimpico on May 15th for the Italian Cup final. Five fiery matches in thirteen days. Yet, judging by what we saw against Empoli, Atalanta is ready for anything.
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