Teun Koopmeiners struggles at Juventus: the Dutchman is the latest to encounter difficulties leaving Atalanta
Koopmeiners e i suoi “fratelli”: quando lasciare l’Atalanta diventa un boomerang, i casi più eclatanti – SerieAnews
Teun Koopmeiners seemed to be the great promise of Juventus, a player capable of changing the face of the Bianconeri midfield with his mix of technique and physical strength. But to date, the Dutchman is not even a distant relative of the player we saw shine with Atalanta.
His impact at Juventus has been below expectations, with performances often underwhelming, even at crucial moments. Fans and insiders expected much more from a player who, in Serie A, had ended last season with extraordinary numbers: 15 goals and 7 assists.
Yet, at the moment, the Turin-based Koopmeiners has struggled to get off the ground, both from the point of view of statistics and in terms of the game expressed. In the Champions League, for example, he has not yet found the way to goal nor has he made any contribution in terms of assists enough to justify the sum spent by Juventus, close to 60 million euros. And against PSV yesterday he started initially from the bench.
Koopmeneirs, un leader che non si trova
When Koopmeiners arrived at Juventus, there was an air of excitement. The midfielder was considered a key purchase to strengthen a midfield that had already been struggling for a few seasons. But what surprised fans was the player’s attitude.
Koopmeneirs, un leader che non si trova (Ansa Foto) – SerieAnews
Juventus’ Koopmeiners no longer looks like the leader he was in Bergamo. The Dutchman who used to be able to dominate the game, to provide speed and verticality, now looks like a timorous player who rarely comes forward for the important play. His place on the field is still unclear, and his role appears to be in constant debate, an element that often struggles to get noticed.
Unfortunately, he is not the first player who, after leaving Gasperini’s Atalanta, has encountered enormous difficulties at new clubs. Often, players who grow under the guidance of the Nerazzurri coach seem to shine only to fail to replicate the same performance elsewhere. Koopmeiners fits perfectly into this list of talents who, outside of Gasperini’s context, struggle to keep up their form.
Quando Gasperini non c’è, la luce si spegne
Think of Mattia Caldara, a defender who seemed destined to become one of Italy’s best after his excellent seasons in Bergamo. After moving to Juventus, however, he has had an up-and-down career, often hampered by injuries, and his name has faded from the big Serie A radar.
Quando Gasperini non c’è, la luce si spegne (Ansa Foto) – SerieAnews
Another emblematic case is that of Roberto Gagliardini, who has never been able to express the same level of play at Inter that he showed at Atalanta. And what about Rasmus Højlund? The Danish striker, bought from Manchester United for a record sum, has had no small difficulty adapting to the English league, far from the style of play that Gasperini had tailor-made for him. Robin Gosens, who moved to Inter Milan, experienced a similar fate, with performances well below expectations, failing to replicate his best seasons with Atalanta.
In a setting like Bergamo, players learn to work on themselves, to be part of a choral mechanism that enhances them. But when they leave that proven system, something seems to break down. Franck Kessié represents the exception that confirms the rule: despite a difficult start at AC Milan, he has managed to establish himself over time, even going on to win the Scudetto in 2022. But he too had to go through difficult times before emerging, and now he is at Barcelona, where his future appears uncertain.
E Koopmeiners? Cosa accadrà all’olandese?
What will happen to Koopmeiners? Will he be able to bounce back and find his place in a Juventus that needs a midfielder who can make a difference?
Time will tell whether the Dutchman will be able to unleash the qualities that made him a mainstay at Atalanta, or whether, like others before him, he will remain trapped in the anonymity that too often follows talent leaving Gasperini’s system. The only certainty is that, so far, his Juventus adventure has not shone as expected.
This article Koopmeiners and his “brothers”: when leaving Atalanta becomes a boomerang, the most egregious cases appeared in its original version first on SerieANews.
