“One of the Best in the World”: Christian Vieri Hails Gian Piero Gasperini’s Impact as Atalanta Boss Plays Down Scudetto Talk

Atalanta swept aside Serie A leaders Napoli 3-0 on Sunday and it could have been more, with Europa League hero Ademola Lookman striking twice.

Serie A top scorer Mateo Retegui notched up his 11th goal in as many matches to make La Dea’s trip to Naples a red-letter day. The 25-year-old, who came off the bench, continues to be this season’s revelation and shows no signs of slowing down.

After moving to within three points of Antonio Conte’s table toppers and lifting his side into third, Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini affirmed his side has grown mentally following Europa League success but shrugged off suggestions of a potential Scudetto.

“Today we played against the first in the standings and we played a great game, but we need to grow more,” Gasperini told Sky Sport.

“I don’t know if we will always be able to maintain this pace. Certainly, if we play like this for 27 games, we could also be competitive for the championship. We don’t deny that we are strong.”

A day earlier, former Italy and Atalanta striker Christian Vieri had acknowledged Gasperini’s importance in Bergamo and impact on the world stage.

“Gasperini, I think he’s done a phenomenal job,” Vieri told Destination Calcio. “He’s one of the best coaches in the world because what he does with that team, I don’t think anyone (else) can do. Only he can do that.”

Indeed, Gasperini’s magic wand has turned Atalanta from a minnow into a giant over the past six seasons. The Bergamaschi have especially impressed in knockout competitions, going deep in the Champions League and reaching three Coppa Italia Finals before making history in 2024 by lifting the Europa League.

“For a little club like Atalanta to win a Europa League and win 3-0 against Bayer Leverkusen – they never lost a game in the whole year – was absolutely fantastic for the team, for the coach and for the club,” Vieri added.

This was the second time in 2024 that Gasperini has taken all three points from the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, thrashing Francesco Calzona’s Napoli 3-0 in March, before thumping Conte’s men by the same scoreline on Sunday.

The 66-year-old has outsmarted many of modern football’s great intellectuals, excelling in cup competitions. However, league success usually requires boundless squad depth, blank cheques, and a striker who can bang in over 20 goals.

The unforgettable free-scoring era between 2018 and 2021 earned Atalanta three successive third-place finishes when Duvan Zapata (21), Josip Ilicić (21) and Luis Muriel (26) led La Dea to the upper echelons of Serie A through their goals.

No Atalanta player has surpassed the 20-goal milestone in Serie A since, but Vieri cautiously believes Retegui is the man to take Gasperini’s team to the next level.

“He’s very good in the box,” Vieri told Sportweek. “He knows how to free himself; he manages to be in the right place at the right time, and this is a great quality.”

“Before celebrating him, however, I want to wait for him to affirm himself. It would be too easy to give him a high rating for what he is doing at the moment. I want to see him throughout the year – in which I say he will score at least 20 goals – but especially next year. How many forwards reach double figures in a tournament, then scale back the following season?”

By scoring his 11th goal at the Maradona, Retegui extended the gap over Inter’s Marcus Thuram to four and, with three assists, trails only Romelu Lukaku and two teammates, Charles De Keteleare and Lookman (4).

Gasperini has overcome the loss against Como on match day five with an eight-game undefeated streak in all competitions. The five-game winning run in Serie A has produced 18 goals while conceding only two – the best attack and defence during that stretch.

The Three Tenors (De Ketelaere, Lookman and Retegui) have contributed 12 of the 18 goals – and nine assists.

Continental and domestic success ride largely on consistency, and another busy week looms for Gasperini: an away trip to Stuttgart for the Champions League on Wednesday before retiring for the international break at home to Udinese in Serie A.

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