How do you possibly think about replacing Gian Piero Gasperini?

It was a question Atalanta had to address earlier this summer. 

After nine historic years in Bergamo, Gasperini called time. The 66-year-old believed he had taken La Dea as far as he could and cited the need of a new environment to stimulate the juices.

“For the need of new motivations, for the trust shown in me and for the renewed enthusiasm that comes with it,” said Gasperini in a farewell letter he penned for the Bergamaschi at the end of May before joining Roma. “We’re talking about a great, exciting challenge, which fills me with adrenaline.”

What Gasp achieved is well known and does not need to be repeated, but it is worth remembering that in the three seasons before he arrived, Atalanta finished 11th, 17th and 13th. They were a club going nowhere, floating in a sea of mediocrity.

Gasperini changed the entire complexity of the club, altering not just the mentality but the aspiration of where they could go.

Now however, in a post-Gasperini landscape, can Atalanta cope without their talismanic figure?

Replacing him was always going to be the biggest challenge. Perhaps the closest parallel Serie A has had to the Manchester United-Sir Alex Ferguson situation.

Atalanta didn’t get off to the greatest of starts, it must be said. Hiring Ivan Juric, Gasperini’s former protege, was a questionable choice.

Juric had just come off the back of one of the worst managerial stints in Premier League history with Southampton. Hired in December 2024 after an equally disastrous stint with Roma, Juric oversaw the Saints’ relegation – the earliest in the league’s history – with a record of two wins from 16 games.

The Croat signed an 18-month deal at St Mary’s, but lasted only five, falling on his sword following relegation.

In all, Juric won a mere six games from 28 across two leagues last season. From an Atalanta perspective, it is hardly the kind of appointment to send pulses racing.

Yet to play Devil’s Advocate for a second, Juric did walk into two precarious situations last season.

Roma were in chaos upon his arrival, with Daniele De Rossi surprisingly sacked just weeks into the season and CEO Lina Souloukou resigning days later due to threats from Giallorossi fans.

Southampton, meanwhile, were already on a hiding to nothing by the time Juric landed in December. 

Russell Martin, who had taken them up from the Championship, presided over a single victory in the autumn and winter. Juric was, at best, interim skipper of an-already sinking ship.

It is also easy to see why Atalanta decided to take a punt on Juric despite his failings last season. He played under Gasperini during the latter stages of his career at Genoa, and then became his assistant when the pair rocked up at Inter for three months and later Palermo.

Juric shares Gasperini’s vision of football. A heavy metal fan, Juric likes his teams to ‘hit the metal’ (lame pun intended), much in the same manner Gasperini does.

The caveat being that while Gasperini wants his teams to attack and score goals, the opposite is true for Juric.

Attacking prowess is usually sacrificed in the name of defensive solidity, yet this will not wash with the Bergamo public, who became used to their side swatting teams aside and scoring for fun.

Juric is adamant, however, that he deserves a chance.

“This is football, you have five great seasons, then all it takes is a single bad one to make you start from scratch,” he remarked at his unveiling. “This is a bonus for me, because I did not do well this season, and now I have a great opportunity.

“It was a negative year in a sporting sense, but a fantastic one in terms of learning experience. I feel much stronger than I was a year ago.”

Juric’s cause has not been helped by the unexpected departure of last season’s Capocannoniere Mateo Retegui. The Italo-Argentine rattled in 25 goals in Serie A, besting previous Atalanta record holder Pippo Inzaghi for most goals in a season.

Atalanta, always a team with an eye on the bottom line, received a €70million offer they could not refuse from Saudi Pro side Al-Qadsiah, and with that Retegui was gone.

Moreover, the Ademola Lookman saga also has not been ideal. The Nigerian has wanted out for over a year. Convinced to stay by Gasperini last summer, Lookman made it known he would not remain another season, and failed to return to pre-season training after Inter’s €45m bid was rejected, with the club reportedly looking towards €60m.

The player, in response, took down all mention of Atalanta from his social media accounts, incensing fans.

Lookman has since been frozen out of the first-team squad, and as the summer transfer market nears its end, someone will have to blink first.

Losing Retegui and Lookman would be a huge blow for Juric. Nikola Krstovic has been signed from Leece, but there are valid questions about whether the Montenegrin can replace the goals of the pair, who scored 40 between them in Serie A last season.

Matteo Ruggeri has also been sold to Atletico Madrid, leaving a gap down the left. Nicola Zalewski has been signed from Inter as his replacement, but the young Pole can be inconsistent and will need time to adjust to Juric’s style.

The 1-1 home draw with Pisa on the opening day of the season hardly set confidence soaring. That being said, Atalanta created enough chances to win.

Gianluca Scamacca scored for the first time since May 2024 and the Italian will be the cliched ‘new striker’ for Atalanta after his horrendous set of injuries last season.

It is still very early days, but the mix of Gasperini’s departure, Juric’s shock arrival, the unexpected transfers of Retegui and Ruggeri and the Lookman saga doesn’t exactly bode well for the future.

There is a slight air of pessimism creeping in among the hills of Bergamo, perhaps a feeling that the best days are in the rearview mirror.

As United have found out to their extreme detriment, replacing an iconic manager isn’t easy.