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ROME – The first draw was followed by Juventus domination.
An away win at another league power followed.
Only it was not Ajax.
Atalanta, a provincial club outside Milan, threatens to reverse the usual Serie A hierarchy.
Nicknamed "The Dea" – the goddess – Atalanta has certainly played divinely lately.
After eliminating Juventus 3-0 in the quarterfinals, Atalanta swept the Fiorentina to join the final of the Cup of Italy against Lazio this month. Between these results, Atalanta is imposed 2-1 in Napoli, making it the second Italian club, apart from Juventus, to win at the San Paolo stadium this season.
A series of nine games without defeat in Serie A allowed Atalanta to win the fourth place, allowing direct access to the group stage of the Champions League.
Atalanta is three points behind Inter Milan, third, and has four clubs – Rome, Turin, AC Milan and Lazio – four points from the end.
"We control our own destiny," says coach Gian Piero Gasperini. "Our morale is out of breath."
The calendar, however, is a challenge. Atalanta will visit Lazio on Sunday in preview of the final of the Cup and face Juventus in penultimate round. The final of the Cup, on May 15th, will also take place at Stadio Olimpico, home of Lazio.
"I think everyone has to win at least three games. But as far as we're concerned, if we hold the table, we will not have to worry about the calculations, "says Gasperini," We could get all or nothing, we just can not stop fighting. "
With a fluid playing style similar to that of Ajax, Atalanta has earned a reputation for his fighting spirit and his late scores. His 68 goals correspond to Juventus for the most Serie A matches, and the top trio of Duvan Zapata, captain Alejandro "Papu" Gomez, and Josip Ilicic have created headaches for opposing defenders.
Zapata's 21 goals put him tied with Krzysztof Piatek (Milan) for second overall in the league behind only Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), who is 23, and ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), who has 20 .
Ronaldo had to tie late in December to save a 2-2 draw at Atalanta. A month later, the Zapata attack allowed Atalanta to win the World Cup 3-0 against Juventus, putting an end to Juve's domination of the trophy for four years.
"We have been playing at a high level for several months, but there is no way of physical or mental fatigue that can stop us now," says Gasperini. "We are full of confidence, otherwise we would not produce these returns. We still believe that we can change the outcome of the match. "
And if the results were not enough to reinvigorate the fans of Atalanta, the club has revealed this week the details of a plan to redevelop the entire stadium in time for the seasons 2021-22. The construction of the three-phase project will begin immediately, which means that Atalanta will play its last two home games against Genoa and Sbaduolo in Reggio Emilia at the Mapei stadium, on the Sbaduolo pitch.
The fans are mobilizing to move mbad for the last matches of the team.
"We want to bring everyone to Bergamo in Rome for the Cup final," said Gomez.
While winning the B Series six times, Atalanta's only major trophy is the 1963 Italian Cup.
After having helped launch the careers of players such as Roberto Donadoni, Christian Vieri and Filippo Inzaghi, Atalanta has long been known for its incubators of players who have reached peaks elsewhere.
Mattia Caldara (Milan), Andrea Conti (Milan), Roberto Gagliardini (Inter) and Franck Kessie (Milan) – the core of the Atalanta team who finished fourth in 2017, have all migrated to the biggest clubs in Milan . At the time, however, fourth place only meant a place in the Europa League.
If Atalanta manages to reach the Champions League, he may be able to retain some of his young talents.
Gasperini, who would be considered a future Milan coach, could also choose to stay.
Asked recently about his future, Gasperini replied, "This is not the time to talk about this."
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Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/AndrewDampf
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