Atalanta Bergamo has developed from mediocrity into a top team in Serie A. The fantastic four are supposed to help in the Europa League final against Leverkusen – and prophecies from Greek mythology come true.
It’s a bit like it used to be in Leverkusen: Just before the big goal and then nothing again. If there were tabloids in Italy, they would talk about “Vizelanta”. In Serie A and the Italian Cup, Atalanta Bergamo has been annoying the big teams for years, but always ends up empty-handed. This curse is now to be broken. The Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen today (live from 9 p.m. in the radio report and in the ticker on Sportschau), says Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini, is “a historic opportunity”.
Cup defeat against Juventus
Atalanta lost their last good opportunity to date last week. After previously impressive performances, including 3-0 wins over Liverpool and Marseille in the Europa League and a winning streak in Serie A, Bergamo lost 1-0 to Juventus in the Coppa Italia final. It is the third national cup final in five years in which Atalanta leaves the field as a loser. Everything will be different at the final premiere in the Europa League.
Popular figure in the country and an innovative coach
Many people in Italy are keeping their fingers crossed for this. Because Bergamo is popular in the country, Atalanta is the antithesis of the big money clubs from Turin and Milan. Bergamo currently only spends a good third of what the industry giants Juventus and Inter spend on their teams. With their low-budget course, the Bergamasque team not only reached the finals in the national cup and the Europa League this season, but have already qualified for the Champions League as fifth place in Serie A.
Atalanta’s secrets to success are an intelligent purchasing policy and an innovative coach. Gasperini says that his Leverkusen colleague Xabi Alonso is unenvious “a super coach who currently has a team that is unique in Europe” created, but in Italy the Atalanta coach himself is considered an innovator. Napoli are said to be interested in him for next season. Since Gasperini took over in Bergamo eight years ago, he has let his team play dominantly and courageously forward. Atalanta made it to third place three times during this time and, with one exception, always qualified for the European competitions. It just didn’t work with one title. In 1963, more than half a century ago, Atalanta won the Italian Cup for the only time.
Playstation friend Scamacca is thriving in Bergamo
Bergamo style is that the club sells some of its best players for good money summer after summer. In return, players are brought in who have been overlooked by others somewhere in the world (Robin Gosens came from Almelo in 2017) or players who have had a career setback. Like Gianluca Scamacca, whom Atalanta signed from West Ham United back to Italy. Things didn’t go well for the technically strong centre-forward in London, but now in Bergamo he is a key player with 18 goals across all competitions (six of them in the Europa League).
Tattoo friend Scamacca’s biggest enemy is his discipline. The 25-year-old comes from a rather socially problematic district of Rome. Three years ago, his father stormed into the training center of AS Roma (from whose youth Scamacca comes) with a baseball bat and damaged several cars. This March, national coach Luciano Spalletti left out the in-form Scamacca for the international matches. According to the Italian media, the Bergamo striker was previously caught using the Playstation late at night during the national team’s training camp. With goals, if possible, in the Europa League final, Scamacca still wants to buy his ticket to Euro 2024.
The fantastic four of the “Goddess”
The center forward is one of the fantastic four who shape the offensive game in Bergamo. The most important partner is the Belgian Charles De Ketalaere, who was already considered an overrated talent after a miserable year at AC Milan – and is now delivering top performances again under Gasperini. Similar to Ademola Lookman, who was unable to assert himself at RB Leipzig. Behind Atalanta’s strong strikers is the Dutchman Teun Koopmeiners in midfield, who has caught the eye of Juventus Turin.
Winning the Europa League would presumably trigger a “divine” folk festival in the city of Bergamo, which has a population of 120,000. The Atalanta fans have reverently called their beloved team “la Dea”, the goddess, for decades. Atalante, who gives the club its name, is an initially underestimated huntress in Greek mythology – who then hunts down her opponents.