Atalanta took Serie A and Europe by storm last season — but Gian Piero Gasperini’s plucky underdogs are struggling to hit the same heights this time around.
Ahead of their trip to champions Juventus tonight, we turn the spotlight on what has changed in Bergamo this term.
Inconsistent form
Gasperini’s outfit were the model of consistency in Serie A last season, going on an incredible 17-match unbeaten run from late January through to the penultimate game of the campaign.
They won nine matches in a row during that period, finishing third in the table for the second successive season to secure Champions League qualification.
But Atalanta have not found their rhythm in 2020-21.
Two wins from their last seven league fixtures have left them sitting eighth in Serie A, six points off the top four with a game in hand.
Finishing under the microscope
One of Italy’s most exciting sides, Atalanta have created the most big chances per 90 minutes in Serie A this season (2.7).
The issue has been their ability to pull the trigger when presented with those opportunities.
They are having fewer shots per match than last campaign and a marginally lower percentage of those efforts have been on target.
That inefficiency in the final third has resulted in 0.43 less goals per game.
The fixture list
Atalanta’s game is one of high intensity but the truncated nature of this season makes that approach particularly challenging.
Gasperini, 62, alluded to this when speaking after his side were thrashed 5-0 at home by Liverpool last month.
He said: "We’re flat. Unfortunately, we’ve seen it in the league where we’re not as intense as we were.
"We’re not capable of playing at a very high intensity."
Strained relations
Long-serving creative maestro Papu Gomez (pictured above) has been fundamental to Atalanta’s rise.
But the 32-year-old has fallen out with Gasperini and was replaced at half-time in last month’s Champions League meeting with Midtjylland after reportedly refusing to follow his manager’s tactical instructions.
He has only played one match since and rumours persist that he will leave the club in January, which would represent a major blow to their prospects.
Reasons to be positive
Despite Atalanta’s league position, their underlying numbers suggest they have improved in some areas from last season.
No team in Serie A has won the ball back more times in the middle (33) and attacking (6.4) thirds per 90 minutes in 2020-21.
Atalanta are also the league’s top performers for passes attempted (178.3) and completed (138.7) in the final third per match.
Those averages are higher than in 2019-20, hinting that it might be unwise to write them off just yet.
If Gasperini's troops can develop a clinical edge, a push for the Champions League spots is far from impossible.
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