There is an air of change in Bergamo, with a desire to turn over a new leaf after intense years. A new figure appears on the horizon, ready to rewrite history
L’Atalanta accelera per il nuovo allenatore: è l’opposto di Gasperini (Foto: LaPresse) – serieanews.com
Once the championship is over, and as the days go by, it becomes clearer and clearer: the paths of Gian Piero Gasperini and Atalanta are about to part. There is no need for big communiqués or declarations: it is perceived. The talks that are being held these days confirm it. Differences of views on the future, but above all a drop in motivation on the part of the coach, who after exhilarating years feels he has closed a cycle.
Gasperini now seems tempted by the idea of leaving. Yes, because according to our information, there is already a team ready to make concrete steps to bring him home. It is Roma. After weeks of evaluations, the Giallorossi seem to have decided: they want to bet precisely on the coach from Piedmont to give a new identity to the project. In the coming days, barring surprises, they could sit down at the table with him to discuss the details of the contract.
And in Bergamo? At that point Atalanta will need a new name. A coach capable of opening a cycle of his own, picking up a very heavy legacy but also having the courage not to be crushed by comparison. In recent months many names had been mentioned, there had even been talk of Thiago Motta – who now seems closer to Milan – but now things are moving in another direction.
So many evaluations, but now the Percassi’s are clearing their reservations, and it’s a nice change of pace from Gasp: they would basically go from the oldest coach in Serie A to the youngest, by a long shot.
Atalanta, Farioli nel mirino: potrebbe aprire un nuovo ciclo a Bergamo
According to some indications gathered by our editorial staff, the favorite for the Atalanta bench is Francesco Farioli. A small revolution in Bergamo’s sauce. We are not only talking about tactical ideas, but also about age, style, approach. Farioli is from 1989. To make a point: he is just one year older than Rafael Toloi and only two years older than captain De Roon.
Atalanta, Farioli nel mirino: potrebbe aprire un nuovo ciclo a Bergamo (AnsaFoto) – serieanews.com
The coach, who has just left Ajax after an ill-fated ride that culminated in a last-gasp championship loss, represents a new generation, with an idea of soccer more oriented toward control, building from the bottom, and reasoned possession. Stop the three-man defense, away to a four-man line. Stop vertical and aggressive soccer, room for a more fluid game, less “intense” but perhaps more organized.
For the Percassi family, he is the right name to open a new page, although there will be competition to be won from Torino and especially Lazio, which is giving it more than a passing thought. It will not be easy, because taking Gasperini’s place means, in fact, measuring oneself against one of the most successful and revolutionary coaches in Nerazzurri history.
Gasperini did not just bring trophies and European qualification: he built a mentality, gave an identity, and made Atalanta a symbol of Italian soccer. But this is precisely why a different profile is needed now, one that knows how to break away from the past without disowning it.
Farioli, with his young age and European resume, may be the right bet. Of course, a bet is never a certainty. But Atalanta is used to believing in projects, not stopping at the surface. In the coming days it will become clear whether he really will be the chosen one. In Bergamo they know one thing well: every cycle ends, but every end is also a beginning. And Atalanta, at the right moments, has always known how to start again.
This article Atalanta accelerates for new coach: he’s Gasperini’s opposite – EXCLUSIVE appeared in its original version first on SerieANews.
