The rise of Italy’s most fearless side: Are Atalanta the new face of Serie A in Europe?
- Anweshan Ghosh
- 2 hours ago
- 6 min read
There was once a time when Serie A clubs used to dominate football in Europe; clubs like AC Milan, Juventus, Inter Milan and AS Roma dictated European competitions. However, over the past decade, due to financial problems, scandals and poor administration snatched away the true essence of Italian football.
Football fans slowly shifted to English and Spanish football, and it rose to great heights. The downfall of Italian football also became evident on the international stage, with them not having been able to qualify for the World Cup since 2014. However, despite all the instability, Atalanta, a club from Bergamo, has risen as the new face of Serie A in Europe.
Atalanta has become the club from Italy that everyone admires and loves, not just because they win, but because of the fashion in which they win. Their rise began when Gian Piero Gasperini took charge of the team when they used to be a mid-table club with a limited budget and squad depth. However, Gasperini changed the club's ideology completely, and ten years down the line, only success followed.
Italian football was all about ‘La Catenaccio', symbolising a deep defensive approach to the game with minimal risk. Gasperini changed that approach by introducing high pressing throughout the pitch and attacking in numbers to score maximum goals. His system of a 3-4-2-1 truly revolutionised Italian football.
The wingbacks track back like defenders and attack like wingers, the midfielders interchange their positions with the centre-backs when required, and even the forwards defend when it's required. Under Gasperini, everyone attacks together and defends together, something which inspired the philosophy of Simeone Inzaghi's Inter Milan.
Once a mid-table club, it started to compete in European competitions regularly. Atalanta began to score goals for fun and were even the highest-scoring side in Serie A for multiple seasons. In a league known for its defensive brilliance, Atalanta began to play entertaining football, contrary to the primitive Italian football.
The most inspiring fact about the club is that they lack the financial backing unlike clubs like Inter Milan, Juventus and AC Milan. However, their scouting has been exceptionally good, building one of the most exciting young squads with limited funding. Atalanta builds players; they arrive as low-profile players but leave as superstars, which not only provides the club with financial support but also an identity across Europe. Ademola Lookman is one of the finest examples of the club's brilliant recruitment.
What Gasperini did at Atalanta was not just replicating clubs from Spain or England but introducing an ideology of his own. Italian clubs have always prioritised defensive and highly tactical football, but Gasperini took the high-risk, high-reward approach. Man-to-man pressing in Italian football was introduced by Atalanta; it was risky as it left open spaces in defence, but it created chaos as the opposition struggled to find any momentum with possession.
While Spanish clubs prefer possession-based football with high zonal pressing, Atalanta do not obsess over having control of the ball. Instead, they wait for the right moment to suffocate, create chaos amongst the opposition and hit on the break with huge numbers, which makes it extremely difficult for the opposition defenders. Gasperini's ball requires peak physical conditions from the players to run relentlessly throughout ninety minutes of football.
What truly makes Atalanta the 'darlings of Italian football’ is the fact that they approach every game fearlessly even against stronger clubs on paper. While clubs like Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan sit back while playing against opposition stronger than them on paper, Atalanta do not retreat from their core ideology and initiate a similar man-to-man pressing approach and attack in large numbers. This fearless display of football has gained a lot of admiration for the club across Europe.
Atalanta’s fairytale night in Dublin which cemented their name in history
Gian Piero Gasperini’s hard work and revolution found its recognition when Atalanta lifted the UEFA Europa League trophy in Dublin, which was not only a historical night for the club but also cemented their name in Europe. Italian clubs have often been criticised for their pragmatic approach in big games, but Gasperini's men did it in a way that left everyone amazed in awe. They played offensive and fearless football against a side that went unbeaten in all games except the Europa League final that season.
Bayer Leverkusen hadn't lost a single game that season until they met Atalanta. Xabi Alonso’s side cemented themselves as a fluid, high-pressing team with solid structure up front. Before the game, pundits and former players predicted that it would be a cakewalk for the Germans. However, Gasperini's men proved them completely wrong from the first minute of the game.
Atalanta pressed aggressively from the start, went for all the duels and committed tactical fouls to disrupt the fluid style of football of Leverkusen. While most clubs would've chosen the cautious defensive approach against them, ‘the darlings of Italian football’ chose courage and went toe-to-toe against the German invincibles. During every counterattack, it felt as if a group of orcas were hunting down a seal; such was the efficiency of the Italian side up front. It wasn't just a victory but a statement to Europe that Italian teams can also play entertaining football.
This victory marked Atalanta's first European triumph, but it was more than just some silverware for their collection. They restored Serie A’s credibility in Europe, as many Italian giants had reached finals of European competitions, but it meant nothing as none of them were able to lift the trophy. Atalanta proved that their tactical revolution was not a theory but also practical.
Under Gasperini's ball, Atalanta had been building towards nights like this, where the victory was not just tactical but when they conquered Europe in their own style of football. Following that win, the club accelerated their progress and improved the squad depth, and this also improved their position within the Serie A clubs.
Atalanta continue to fly in Europe: The only club remaining from Italy in Champions League this season
Atalanta's Champions League campaign this season has been quite dramatic, displaying the club's recent philosophy on the big stage against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League playoffs. An extraordinary comeback against the German giants after trailing behind 2-0 from the first leg.
Atalanta turned the tie on its head at the Stadio de Bergamo with a sensational 4-1 win, 4-3 on aggregate, to qualify for the last sixteen. Gianluca Scamacca, Davide Zappacosta and Mario Pasalic had put them flying before Dortmund scored one goal to equalise the tie on aggregate. However, deep into stoppage time Lazar Samardzic converted the spot kick to knock Dortmund out of the Champions League in stunning fashion.
This result showcased Atalanta's display of relentless attacking football and also the strength to overturn a big first-leg deficit against one of Europe’s elite clubs. Despite losing to Paris Saint-Germain in the league phase of the competition in an embarrassing fashion, the Italians picked themselves up and are now into the last sixteen.
Atalanta are set to face one of the strongest teams in the Champions League this season – Bayern Munich, which is going to be another entertaining game of football. Their organisational discipline will face Vincent Kompany’s fluid attacking football, which will be one of the strongest tests for the Italians this season.
The club from Bergamo holds a strong belief, which has made them qualify for this stage in this edition’s Champions League, and most importantly, they carry huge momentum forward after that sensational comeback against Dortmund, which could provide them with the exact boost required to knock Bayern out of the competition.
“I’m really emotional and happy, above all for the team, for the fans and for Bergamo,” said Zappacosta in the post-match interview. (sic)
He further added, “Everyone had written us off, but this match showed once again how strong this group is and that we always believe and we never give up. It’s a special feeling to celebrate a result like this, especially after the hard work everyone put in.” (sic)
Zappacosta played a key role in their stunning victory over Dortmund, and he was awarded the POTM following the game. Pundits across the world were in awe of the team's incredible energy and resilience to overcome such a big deficit from the first leg against a club like Borussia Dortmund.
Atalanta CEO Luca Percassi praised the team for their efforts following the game and was left impressed with the sensational victory.
“It is already extraordinary that we are here, so we’ll enjoy this moment with the spirit of Atalanta, hoping to have no regrets. Every season, our approach does not change. The objective is to secure Serie A safety as quickly as possible; that is not just a phrase, it is how we genuinely think," said Percassi. (sic)
“Obviously, in recent years the capability for investment makes us hope for targets beyond that, but we see around the sport that big investments do not necessarily provide big results.” (sic)
He further added, “We have great humility, because we know our status and where we come from. Last week, we played in one of the biggest stadiums in Europe, which holds 82,000 people, and you realise it’s a different reality to our own. We hope to make as few mistakes as possible, to keep our feet on the ground, remembering Atalanta achieved results in recent years precisely because we combined humility with ambition and determination.” (sic)
