Gian Piero Gasperini: The sriker whisperer
With Atalanta currently sitting in third in the Serie A, just 3 points off Inter in first, there is a possibility we may see the Nerazzurri win their first ever Italian top-flight trophy. Their next two games are against Juventus and Inter in second, it now truly is make-or-break for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side, seeing as he will likely be leaving Atalanta in 2026.
What Gasperini has been able to do since he took over as head coach in 2016, is nothing short of astonishing. Operating on a shoestring budget, he has brought a level of optimism and belief to a club who had been dwelling in a pit of mediocrity for over 2 decades and now has them competing at the highest level both domestically and continentally against sides he has no right to be beating.
What’s so fascinating about Gasperini is how he manages to graft results out of his teams that aren’t exactly stacked with world-class talent. Yes, the attractive style of football is there for everyone to see but what might be less apparent is what’s going on in the number 9 position. The success of his Atalanta teams have been built on having great attackers allowing for some brilliant-to-watch, fast-paced and forward-thinking football but the strange thing is, none of these attackers were really very good until Gasperini got his hands on them.
The 67 year old has figured out how to turn his attackers into superstars where other managers have failed to get a tune out of these same players. In 2020/21 Luis Muriel reached 36 goal contributions in 46 games for Atalanta. His previous best tally before arriving in Bergamo, was 18 goals and assists in 33 games at Sampdoria. In the season prior, Colombian striker and fellow teammate, Duvan Zapata contributed to 26 goals in 33 games across all competitions. His best tally before that? 15 in 32 at Sampdoria. The same can be said for Mateo Retegui or Ademola Lookman who are currently operating at a level which can only be matched by a very rare few across Europe. 52 g/a in 68 games for 2 players who were viewed as wasted talents by most football fans across the continent before they touched down in the Stadio Atleti Azzurri stadium. To add to this, Gianluca Scamacca, Rasmus Hojlund and Josep Ilicic have all enjoyed by far their best seasons playing under Gasperini.
The most notable thing here is that none of these forwards, barring perhaps Ilicic, haven’t been able to emulate this sort of form anywhere else apart from Atalanta. I’d be lying if I said I knew why this was, or whether or not Gasperini is doing something very different from previous managers but there is too much evidence for this to be circumstantial.
What’s the perfect move for you if you’re a once promising forward who hasn’t been able to meet the high expectations cast upon him? Go to Atalanta. Rest assured your talent will once again be realised.
But equally, as it looks extremely likely that Lookman will be leaving in the summer and with many big clubs rumoured to be interested in Retegui, it will be very interesting to track their progress once they do leave the clutches of the great Gasperini. If they fail to reach elite the levels they have been hitting so consistently at Atalanta, a huge question will begin to force itself among avid watchers of European football?
Are these attackers actually that good or are they just managed by Gasperini?
