Whilst a few of the greatest soccer golf equipment pursue the most popular younger managers — Vincent Kompany, Enzo Maresca, Kieran McKenna — able to threat thousands and thousands on their imaginative and prescient and philosophy of play, an outdated grandmaster continues to point out the way it’s completed with restricted assets.
At 66, Gian Piero Gasperini is having maybe the best of his 21 seasons as coach, his eighth at Atalanta which continues to defy soccer gravity as a low-budget provincial membership within the hotbed of northern Italy. Within the Europa League ultimate final week, Atalanta stopped Bayer Leverkusen’s shot at European soccer immortality and lifted its first top-level trophy for 61 years.
In the end: Gasperini helped Atalanta finish a six-decade watch for a top-level trophy after a memorable marketing campaign within the Europa League. | Picture credit score: Getty Photos
Silverware in a golden period
And as a sprightly Gasperini — his black rain jacket zipped excessive in opposition to the Dublin night chill — danced together with his gamers and workers, the enormity of the achievement dawned not simply on the 1000’s clad in blue and black that had made the journey from northern Italy but additionally on impartial followers and connoisseurs of attacking soccer.
The aspect from Bergamo, within the foothills of the Italian Alps, has lengthy lived within the shadow of close by giants AC and Inter Milan. Nevertheless it has loved a golden period underneath Gasperini, reaching the Champions League on 4 events, and now has silverware to point out for it. It was a uncommon victory for the underdog in a sport normally dominated by the golf equipment with the deepest pockets.
“To win it with Atalanta is probably one of many soccer fairytales that not often provides scope for meritocracy,” stated Gasperini. “There’s nonetheless room for concepts, it doesn’t all the time come all the way down to chilly laborious numbers or tremendous leagues however reveals groups with out big budgets can obtain massive issues.
“We wanted to be attacking. You possibly can’t simply defend in matches like this. Everybody was extraordinary. The way in which we did it was a very powerful factor, we deserved it and not using a shadow of a doubt. We’re so joyful as a result of to win the Europa League is a big achievement for us.”
The three-0 win over Leverkusen, which was unbeaten in 51 video games in all competitions till then, featured Gasperini’s soccer concepts at their best. In distinction to the picture of the cliched defence-minded Italian supervisor, the 66-year-old coaches a fluid-passing attacking model.
Gasperini’s groups, nearly all the time arrange in some variation of a 3-4-3, play out from the again, look to progress the ball with fast combos and press to regain the ball after they lose it. The result’s easy-on-the-eye soccer in assault and team-first defence.
“They play one in opposition to one on the entire pitch,” stated Leverkusen striker Patrik Schick. “Wherever you progress, you have got one defender behind you, in order that they don’t go away you the area to breathe.”
Lots of Gasperini’s Atalanta sides since 2016 have showcased cutting-edge ways. Elite, imaginative teaching is likely one of the methods wherein Gasperini has tried to shut the hole to Italy and Europe’s wealthiest golf equipment — he appears to compensate for Atalanta’s relative lack of monetary assets with a richness of concepts.
Reinforcing concepts
Gasperini drives his gamers extremely laborious in coaching, making certain the concepts are ingrained and matches really feel simpler because of this. As he as soon as stated: “Defending makes you invincible, however if you wish to win, you should assault. This sums up the spirit and mentality I would like my group to have. The id you create in a group should all the time be strengthened. You could develop and enhance, daily, as a result of if you don’t enhance, you might be completed. Those that cease have misplaced.”
All the time driving ahead: Gasperini’s willingness to take dangers with an attacking model of soccer has paid off for Atalanta. | Picture credit score: Getty Photos
Atalanta’s Europa League win was additionally important as a result of he outwitted Xabi Alonso, who, together with Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta, is probably the most outstanding instance of the gamble on a younger supervisor that has paid off. Alonso has led Leverkusen to an immediate traditional soccer story in his first full season within the job at age 42, ending Bayern Munich’s monopoly of the Bundesliga.
However Gasperini had Alonso’s measure, his Atalanta trying far slicker than the German league champion. The Italian mastermind’s willingness to take dangers with an attacking model of soccer earned Alonso’s admiration. “We all know for 5 years that Atalanta has had a really clear id. It’s a group that continues to press however they don’t seem to be all the time gung-ho,” Alonso stated. “He has a transparent plan and has constructed up a group with sturdy mentality and prime quality.”
Gasperini stated Atalanta’s “world has modified” since he took over eight years in the past. Again then simply surviving in Serie A was a hit. The membership had not performed in a European competitors for the 25 earlier seasons earlier than he was appointed. Now, continental soccer is commonplace, and Atalanta has loved a few of its best ever nights this season, knocking out European giants Liverpool and Marseille on the highway to Dublin earlier than scripting a triumph for the ages.
In reconstructing Atalanta from a relegation candidate to a group that may win the Europa League or attain the quarterfinals of the Champions League (2019-20), Gasperini has overseen a revolution that has not all the time attracted the reward it deserves. Each membership and supervisor don’t thoughts flying underneath the radar; it’s considered one of many traits they’ve in frequent.
Gasperini, who lasted simply 5 video games at Inter Milan in 2011, has benefited from Atalanta’s belief. It stood by him when he misplaced 4 of his first 5 league video games in cost in 2016 and he has rewarded it with a few of its most memorable years. “The membership believed in me after I wasn’t extremely rated and that’s an important instance for soccer,” he stated.
Sharpening diamonds
The performances Gasperini has extracted from undervalued gamers and the success of the membership’s academy have helped finance the renovation of Atalanta’s Gewiss Stadium and laid the inspiration for a safe future. Europa League ultimate hero Ademola Lookman shouldn’t be the one tough diamond Gasperini has polished to show Atalanta right into a pressure in Serie A and on the continent.
Gasperini’s savvy recruitment and glorious teaching are evident proper throughout the entrance three — Lookman has shaped a fearsome attacking trident with Charles De Ketelaere and Gianluca Scamacca, reworked after their tough spells at AC Milan and West Ham respectively.
Given Gasperini’s accomplishments, it’s not shocking that he’s drawing different suitors. His future has been the new matter in Bergamo, with persistent rumours of talks with Napoli, which had a dismal marketing campaign as defending champion.
Gasperini had described Napoli as a gorgeous girl tempting him away from his spouse, however after the 3-0 win over Torino final weekend, he confirmed that he plans to remain on the membership, a lot to the reduction of the followers. “I’m tied to Atalanta and can proceed to be,” Gasperini stated. “I’m devoted.”
