Percassi: ‘Atalanta and Gasperini created unique synergy’ | OneFootball

Atalanta CEO Luca Percassi admits they have created a ‘rather unique synergy’ with coach Gian Piero Gasperini that has taken them both to ‘success they never achieved before.’

The match with Empoli kicks off at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo at 17.00 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s five Serie A games on the Liveblog.

La Dea are on a club record run of 10 consecutive league victories, and also crushed Serie B side Cesena 6-1 in the Coppa Italia midweek after resting several top stars.

They know that with Napoli winning yesterday, they need all three points here to keep hold of top spot in the table.

“There are teams who keep winning, so in order to keep maintaining our current position, it doesn’t matter if we play before or after,” Percassi told Sky Sport Italia.

“There is a long way to go, we just have to keep going and picking up points.”

Atalanta look to future with Gasperini

BERGAMO, ITALY – DECEMBER 10: Charles De Ketelaere of Atalanta celebrates with teammates after scoring his team’s first goal from the penalty spot during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD6 match between Atalanta BC and Real Madrid C.F. at Stadio di Bergamo on December 10, 2024 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Gasperini has been with Atalanta for almost a decade, so what will the club look like when their coach is no longer at the helm?

“We want to focus on the present, whereas the future is a long way away and we’ll see what happens. What we can say is that a rather unique synergy has been created between Atalanta and Gasperini, allowing both the club and the coach to achieve success they never experienced before.

“All of this is achieved by taking it one day at a time, continuing to build with great humility. The club is growing, also thanks to the investments from Stephen Pagliuca and Antonio Percassi.

“There are many factors that allow us to see the level Atalanta are at right now.”

Among them, the relative calm of a city like Bergamo also helps players to feel at ease and resist the pressure they might get elsewhere.

A recent poll found that Bergamo is the best place to live in all of Italy.

“I am from Bergamo, so I know it is a small city, but a well-looked-after and beautiful one,” added Percassi.

“We’ve seen it from the players who even after leaving the club, return here to make their home.”