Atalanta Bergamo – Chelsea: Has The Goddess Awaken From Her Sleep? (2-1)

Twelfth in Serie A, ruing the days of an eternal figurehead, Raffaele Palladino entered Bergamo with no easy task at hand. Yet a convincing win against one of Europe’s elites can totally change the conversation. Has Palladino found the conditions to turn Atalanta around?

Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker.

Where is the next great Italian coach going to come from? Look at any of your favorites’ resumes, and you will traditionally see a list of Serie B/C teams where they’ve perfected their craft. Raffaele Palladino and Enzo Maresca represent a new generation that has taken a different direction.

After coaching in the youth academy, Palladino took over Berlusconi’s Monza, when the project had reached Serie A ground. Maresca served as an assistant at a variety of different clubs before he was hired at Parma, only to be sacked in November. His managerial career kicked off after he returned to Pep Guardiola as an assistant. With many of Serie A’s experienced heads still lingering at the big clubs, Palladino and Maresca have had to take alternative routes to get into Champions League-level squads, but despite their similar ages, these are two coaches at different periods of their careers.

Twenty-eight days into his time at Atalanta, it seemed as if they had turned a corner with three consecutive wins without conceding. Enter the fog of Verona, where Palladino experienced his own version of Silent Hill. In possession, Atalanta’s buildup is still struggling to find stable links. Maresca has had more time to imbue his vision, but the inconsistencies are still clear. Off the ball, this is . . .