October 2016, four defeats in five games, team in the relegation zone, perplexed fans. The coach seemed close to being sacked. Then came Atalanta-Napoli. And nothing was like before
Francesco Calvi
May 24, 2024 (changed at 10:12 am) – MILAN
“But has he gone mad?”. Outside the Gewiss Stadium, on 2 October 2016, the Atalanta fans’ smartphones rang in unison. The most recent notification announced the team that, just an hour later, would take the field against Sarri’s Napoli. Inside Caldara and Gagliardini, Petagna confirmed alongside Papu Gomez. “But what does Gasperini’s brain say? Where do you want to go with all these kids?”. The doubt was legitimate and shared. The Azzurri boasted the best attack in Serie A, while only Crotone had conceded more goals than the Dea. It seemed crazy, but Gian Piero was right. Atalanta won 1-0 and, from there, nothing was the same as before.
risk of exemption
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The first step towards triumph in the Europa League dates back to the seventh day of the 2016-2017 Serie A, Gasperini’s first on the Atalanta bench. The toll was terrible, so much so that the coach seemed one step away from being sacked. In the first five rounds there were four defeats, enough to find themselves in the relegation zone. Ko against Lazio and Sampdoria, victorious against Torino, then mocked by Cagliari with a resounding 3-0. “The result hurts, but luckily we play again in three days. Against Palermo we can redeem ourselves”, Percassi played down, later proved wrong by the 1-0 for the rosanero. The president insisted with “Gasperini can’t be touched”, the coach began to lower expectations: “We can’t have any other objectives than staying in Serie A…”. The challenge from inside or outside, almost like a survival play-off, was against Crotone, scheduled for the sixth matchday: Atalanta won 3-1, but Gasperini still didn’t convey the right confidence to the fans.
Revolution
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Up until that point, the coach had only been given one small merit: the valorisation of Franck Kessie, a midfielder who had four goals and one assist in the first five matchdays. The Ivorian had become the fans’ idol, but he would not have been there against Napoli due to a disqualification. The sensations? “We are doomed”. The lineup that would face Sarri’s goal machine seemed to reflect Gasp’s insecurities: Petagna confirmed only because he had scored against Cagliari, a couple of shaves between midfield and defense. “Is it possible that Pinilla and Paloschi always start from the bench?”. Well yes. Nine minutes after the kick-off, Papu crosses and Ghoulam sweeps badly: the ball reaches Petagna, who is quick to pierce Reina. “What an ass!”. But no. Because, even if Napoli wasted a lot, Dramé hit the crossbar on the half hour mark, while Caldara didn’t show the ball to a timid Milik with no ideas. Gagliardini fights in the middle of the pitch, Conti stops Insigne and sprints towards the opponent’s penalty area. Is it possible that the Nerazzurri won like this?
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off to the climb
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In the aftermath of the match, Atalanta were considered lucky and Napoli were considered lost. It’s true that the Azzurri were the only undefeated teams in Serie A, but they had been playing only in the evening for six months: “Do you want to see that the sun bothered them?”. The 1-0 success was truly a ray of sunshine in the midst of the storm. But, while the fans waited for the cloud to return, Gasp was the only one who glimpsed the rainbow. He was right. A week later came the draw at Fiorentina, then six consecutive victories, with the Dea proving to be too big even against Inter and Roma. After fourteen matchdays, Atalanta was -5 behind leaders Juventus and, from there to the end of the season, lost just five times. “After Palermo I risked being sacked, so I decided to rely on my sixth sense” – Gasperini said after having qualified for the Europa League -. With Percassi we had conceived a project and the time had come to put it into practice”. Brick by brick, Gian Piero built a castle. And now he can dedicate himself to the trophy room.
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