Atalanta On The Verge Of History As They Storm Into Europa League Final

There have been many glorious European nights for Atalanta since Gian Piero Gasperini took charge of the club almost eight years ago, but last night might’ve been the best of the bunch.

There was, of course, the demolition of Valencia in their maiden Champions League voyage four years ago, routing the Spanish side 8-4 on aggregate in the round of 16; going so close to beating a Paris Saint-Germain side containing Neymar and Kylian Mbappe; the 2-0 away win against Liverpool, somewhat soured by the absence of fans due to the pandemic a season later; going one better three-and-a-half years later and leaving Anfield with a comprehensive 3-0 win against Jürgen Klopp’s side in this season’s Europa League quarter final.

And then came last night.

While there can be little argument the 3-0 win at Anfield was a bigger result due to the quality of the opponent and the gargantuan disparity in financial resources, the 3-0 win against Marseille was arguably better because of just how controlled La Dea were. Atalanta had the French side were they wanted them, and could’ve won the game by half time had chances been taken.

Moreover, considering it was a European semi final, it was just how assured Gasperini’s players looked that was the most remarkable feat of the evening. You got the impression Atalanta were seasoned campaigners at this level, despite the fact none of them had ever played in a game of the magnitude. They're all growing together, but you wouldn't have known it from their performance.

Atalanta dismantled Marseille. Chances had come and gone by the time Ademola Lookman’s deflected shot from the edge of the box nestled into the bottom right-hand corner of Pau Lopez’s net, with the former Roma keeper having little chance to get near it. Gianluca Scamacca hit the bar from a corner and Charles De Ketelaere subsequently forced a superb save from Lopez in the same sequence of play prior to the opener, and it was only a matter of time before they took the lead.

When Lookman’s shot crept in, the game was done. Atalanta would add more sheen to the victory, with Matteo Ruggeri’s gorgeous pearler of a shot — on his weaker foot — arrowing into the top corner of Lopez’s goal in the 52nd minute, followed by El Bilal Toure’s curled effort three minutes into added time after the forward raced by Leonardo Balerdi so fast the defender couldn't have caught him on a vespa.

As fireworks outside the Gewis Stadium lit up the Bergamasco sky, the scale of what Gasperini has achieved and what he’s given to the Atalanta cause was beginning to sink in: a first European final in the club’s history and a potential cup double on the cards, with a Coppa Italia date with Juventus set for May 15 in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. And all of this achieved with a club that continually sells key players every summer and has the eighth-largest wage bill in Serie A.

Gasperini continues to astound eight years into his time at Atalanta. The current team could be viewed as his third cycle. The first featured the likes of Franck Kessie, Mattia Caldara, Andrea Conti, Papu Gomez and Roberto Gagliardini, and they gave way to Josip Ilicic, Duvan Zapata, Luis Muriel, Robin Gosens, Remo Freuler and Mario Pasalic. Now only Pasalic, Hans Hateboer and Marten De Roon remain from the second cycle, proving the constant revolving door policy of the club. Yet throughout all the departures and arrivals, Gasperini is somehow able to reconstruct sides that continue to confound the naysayers and play vibrant, attacking football that’s easy on the eye.

There have been calls for Gasperini to land a job at a bigger side, but the truth is he’s in the perfect environment. In so much as Carlo Ancelotti is the ego whisperer, expert in handling ready-made superstars, telling them what they need to hear and giving them the freedom to express themselves, Gasperini is at the other end of the spectrum. Gasperini’s a manager who’s best with young talents he can mould and make his own. His time at Inter, while not entirely his own fault, demonstrated he doesn’t do well with egos. Gasperini’s speciality is getting players to buy into his system and sacrifice for the good of the team, ideals perfectly suited to a side like Atalanta.

This summer could be another one of marquee departures, with midfield duo Ederson and Teun Koopmeiners linked with departures, yet all that is to come. Atalanta have pocketed some $29 million from their run to the final, and should they be victorious against Bayer Leverkusen in Dublin on May 22 they could add another $4m to the pot, while also securing ultra-lucrative Champions League for next season. For a club that’s debt-free (a rarity in the upper echelons of calcio) and run astutely, this money could go towards strengthening Gasperini’s side in the next couple of months.

But all that can wait. For now, there’s Rome and Dublin to look forward to, and a potential double.