As 2024 draws to a close there’s an unexpected name at the top of the Serie A table as
Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta will be at the top of the tree on Christmas Day.
La Dea have been a joy to watch for the last decade under the guidance of Gasperini playing a brand of attacking football fans of other clubs would love to see, and with plenty of success as European football regulars. Last season Atalanta finished in fourth place and they have big hopes of taking the big prize in 2025.
The question is; ‘can they keep up the pace throughout the second half of the campaign?’ If they can the Scudetto could be Atalanta’s. La Dea currently sit on 40 points, two clear of Napoli and six ahead of Inter Milan (who have two games in hand), the SBOTOP favourites for the title.
Atalanta signed off for Christmas with a home match against Empoli and it was a typically swashbuckling display by the hosts as they came out on the right side of a five goal thriller to stay at the top of the Serie A table for the festive break. Attacking midfielder Charles de Ketelaere is reaching his huge potential this season and he scored twice against Empoli, the opener and then the 86th minute winner, while former Fulham forward Ademola Lookman bagged cored the second. Argentine striker Mateo Retegui had an off night but he is leading the race for the Capocannoniere and his goals could shoot La Dea to the title, with plenty of firepower across the front six.
Atalanta are captained by Croatian midfielder Mario Pasalic; the 6ft 2in powerhouse has been at the club since 2020 and is the heartbeat of the team. He’s a box to box midfielder with superb reading of the game, a strong tackle, an extensive passing game and a handy goal to game ratio, with 32 goals in 142 appearances for La Dea. He’ll lead his team through the good and bad times and nobody, other than Gasperini, would deserve a Scudetto more than the 29 year old Pasalic.
And in a defence which has only conceded 19 goals so far, Bosnian centre back Sead Kolasinac is the rock of the rearguard and he can be sure that when Atalanta concede one goal or none, then three points are invariably the outcome.
This is Atalanta’s best chance of winning the league for the very first time. La Dea has won the Serie B title six times, the Europa League in 2024 and the Coppa Italia way back in 1963. Can this be the year Gasperini leads them to the biggest prize of all?
The rivals
The latest Serie A 2024 betting odds rate 2024 champions Inter Milan the favourites but the only club ahead of La Dea. I Nerazzurri gave Atalanta a 4-0 thumping back in August and Gasperini’s men will get their chance to exact their revenge in Bergamo in March, as well as when the two teams meet in the Italian Super Cup next month. That game may give an indication as to whether Atalanta can hold off the favourites and it’s a huge challenge.
When you look at the quality dripping through Simone Inzaghi’s side you can see why they are the favourites. Led by 2024 Capocannoniere winner Lautaro Martinez, the Argentine striker was also Golden Boot winner at the 2024 Copa America, this is a team with a huge goal threat. Martinez has scored 108 goals in 219 appearances for I Nerazzurri and with support from France star Marcus Thuram and Iranian livewire Mehdi Taremi he spearheads a frightening strike force. And the signing of Poland ace Piotr Zielinski has added more quality to an already gifted midfield.
Inter are clearly the biggest threat to Atalanta’s title dreams.
The arrival of Antonio Conte in Naples has ignited the passion in 2023 Scudetto winners Napoli and his early Serie A 2024 results were exceptional as I Partenopei streaked ahead at the top of the table. But Atalanta inflicted a 3-0 defeat on Napoli in November and another loss to Lazio in December saw Conte’s men slip off the summit. The former Inter boss is a born winner though and he’ll push his team to its limit.
Under Marco Baroni Lazio have become contenders too, at fourth favourites, and then there’s Fiorentina, currently in fifth, nine points behind Atalanta but with two games in hand. La Viola are having a great season but a top four place must be their aim, while Juventus, in sixth have already blown their Scudetto hopes and they will be in the scuffle for a European place too.
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