Serie A’s most surprising side of the year

BERGAMO, ITALY – DECEMBER 10: Charles De Ketelaere of Atalanta celebrates with his teammates after scoring the first goal from the penalty spot during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD6 match between Atalanta BC and Real Madrid CF at Stadio di Bergamo in December scored 10. 2024 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

When looking for the Italian team that impressed the most in 2024, there can only be one winner. Giancarlo Rinaldi argues that what Atalanta achieved this year was truly impressive for a club of its size.

Last Christmas it looked like her magic was starting to fade. A mediocre start to the season with almost as many defeats as wins had seen them finish outside the European places in a pretty miserable eighth place. But anyone who writes an epitaph about Gian Piero Gasperini’s miracle at Atalanta has to tear it up in the last 12 months.

There are other teams who have achieved great success – Bologna made it to the Champions League last season, Fiorentina struggled at the top this season, but none have really come close to the Bergamaschi. With a European Cup, a Serie A top spot and great football, they are undisputedly Italy’s most surprising team of the calendar year. Among the traditional giants, they have become one of the most talked about teams across the continent among people who know football.

The amazing thing about 2024 is that it came with the recent reinvention of La Dea by their coach. He has gone through several different personnel cycles and continues to achieve one triumph after another. Players discarded by other sides seem to become gems in his skilled hands. And he orchestrates their team play with such precision that it rarely results in anything other than a skillful symphony. Even when top players are lost – like Teun Koopmeiners this year – they have hardly faltered.

The cynic might say that it is no longer a surprise, but that is to ignore the history and context of what this site has achieved. They were certainly good, but never that good. Setting the pace at home and regularly competing against the best of Europe’s elite is amazing in every way. Just because they start making it seem commonplace shouldn’t make it any less remarkable.

Let’s just rewind to the end of last season when they carried out one of the most extensive demolitions ever in Europe. Ademola Lookman raged against previously unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen to claim his first continental silver medal. The fact that they had previously broken up with Liverpool only increased their profile and reputation even further.

It is worth remembering that Bergamo is not a big city. With around 120,000 inhabitants, it is only the fourth largest city in the Lombardy region after Milan, Brescia and even Monza. The fact that the club is currently fighting for a title with the likes of Inter and Napoli speaks volumes about how well the club has been run. This is a model for other ambitious outfits in Italy and beyond.

And to think that their plans were thwarted on the eve of this season by the injury to Gianluca Scamacca. Other teams might have gotten a little off track, but not the Nerazzurri. Mateo Retegui was picked up from Genoa and came on like the perfect missing piece from a Swiss watch. If anything, their offense was even better without a man central to their goals.

Some provincial teams over the years have achieved success with a pragmatic approach, hedging their bets on away games and being a little more expansive at home – not Atalanta. They try to play in their own way, regardless of the environment and the reputation of their opponents. It has won them admirers across the football world.

Even by his own lofty standards, this has been a special year for the sometimes grumpy Gasperini, where everything he touches seems to turn into gold. His team put in brilliant performances from start to finish and attracted the covetous eyes of other clubs. Remember Charles De Ketelaere looking so forlorn in the red and black of Milan? Gasp has made him a player that countless others envy. The list of footballers who have surpassed even their wildest imagination is endless.

Of course, in a way, their element of surprise is lost a little with every big game they deliver. However, it will take a while before they can establish themselves as one of the regular players in Italy and Europe. So in the meantime, all we can do is sit back with a pinch of disbelief and appreciation and admire what one of Serie A’s smaller teams has achieved this year.

@ginkers