What does it take to revolutionize soccer? All Gian Piero Gasperini needed was a bit of emergency and a lot of courage: Guardiola, check this out!
The turning point certainly did not come by accident. In comics Gasp has always been an interjection that conveys astonishment, surprise. And perhaps it is no coincidence that Gasp is the most famous nickname of Gian Piero Gasperini, the most amazing man who has been expressing Italian soccer for the past 10 years.
La (nuova) rivoluzione del Gasp in stile Guardiola (AnsaFoto) – serieanews.com
Gasp had already tried this last season, but it had lacked continuity. Now, however, abetted by heavy absences in attack, it has become a necessity. And here Dea is transformed, taking inspiration from teams like Guardiola’s Barcelona or Sarri’s Napoli. Retegui’s injury, after Scamacca’s, would have put many teams in crisis, but not Atalanta. In fact, for Gasp it was almost an opportunity: a chance to put into practice an idea that had been rattling around in his head for some time. The idea of playing without a pure center forward. Yes, he, who built years of success by switching from the weight of Tanque Denis to the muscles of Duvan Zapata, is proving that the future can do without a number 9.
The name everyone had their eyes on is that of Ademola Lookman, quick and incisive like few others, capable of hurting both as a front and outside forward given his extraordinary technical qualities. But Gasp’s real wild card is Charles De Ketelaere, who is finally finding his ideal size. Up front he moves with elegance, opening spaces and inventing plays that put any defense in crisis.
Then there is Nicolò Zaniolo, a player who seems to have been bought precisely for this kind of fluid and unpredictable soccer. And what about Mario Pasalic, transformed from a talented midfielder into an all-around man who can play indifferently as a halfback as well as a false nueve. Gasperini shuffles the cards, changes tactical arrangements and surprises every time.
What Gasperini is doing is not just a change of form. It is a real revolution. Giving up the center forward to put talent and imagination at the center is an act of courage, especially for a coach who has always relied on the physicality and concreteness of his bombers. But soccer changes, and Gasp knows it well. Like Guardiola, who in his time revolutionized Barcelona’s game, he too is writing a new chapter in soccer history. Of his own and perhaps of all the rest of soccer, also because – to be honest – Gasperini’s game does not have so many concepts in common with that of the great Pep.
La Gasp revolution cambia il mercato: ora Retegui non è più incedibile
But so be it. Give up the 9 to bring imagination back into power. With this new philosophy, Retegui and Scamacca risk becoming almost superfluous. No longer a totem, no longer a dogma, but if anything a quality alternative to try to unhinge some situations with the classic tactical attitude, the one involving the number 9. But, lo and behold, for such an idea, even a single striker may suffice.
It is not a question of quality-they are two level strikers-but of adaptation to a system that favors speed of thought and the ability to adhere to situations. Retegui, then, is already at the center of market rumors: it seems that offers over 50 million are ready from the Premier League, more than double what Atalanta paid for him a few months ago. A capital gain that is tempting.
Ora Mateo Retegui non è più indispensabile (AnsaFoto) – serieanews.com
For Scamacca, however, the matter is more complex. He is not expected to return until late February at the earliest, and in the meantime the team has found its identity without him. Gasperini, who has never been afraid of unpopular choices, might decide to go ahead on this path, taking advantage of the versatility of players like Pasalic, who can turn into an added striker when needed.
And so one wonders: how far can this Atalanta team go? With players moving in unison, with no fixed points of reference for opponents, the team seems to have fewer and fewer weaknesses. Of course, there will be no shortage of challenges-especially against the big boys-but one thing is clear: Gasperini’s soccer is alive, constantly evolving, and ready to amaze again. Perhaps reaching the goal that all of Bergamo dreams of and that would be the crowning achievement of a true soccer genius.
This article Gasperini like Guardiola: latest revolution will take out two team totems appeared in its original version first on SerieANews.
