Just a week after being named Serie A’s Coach of the Month, Gian Piero Gasperini demonstrated why he is also in the running for Coach of the Year. His strategic substitutions sparked an immediate turnaround as Atalanta secured a 1-0 victory over struggling Cagliari on Saturday, marking a club-record tenth consecutive league win and ensuring they would finish the weekend atop the Serie A table.
Atalanta now sits two points ahead of second-placed Napoli, which managed to rally for a 3-1 win against Udinese. Meanwhile, Juventus, currently ninth, remains the only unbeaten team in the league, salvaging a 2-2 draw at home against bottom-placed Venezia thanks to a stoppage-time penalty.
The match against Cagliari proved challenging for Atalanta, who struggled to penetrate the defense in the first half. Goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi was crucial in keeping the score level, making several key saves, including a remarkable triple stop before halftime.
In response to his team’s lackluster performance, Gasperini made three substitutions at halftime, which immediately improved Atalanta’s play. He further enhanced the squad’s energy in the 64th minute, introducing Nicolò Zaniolo and Lazar Samardzic for Mario Pasalic and Charles De Ketelaere. Just two minutes later, the tactical changes paid off: Samardzic set up Raoul Bellanova on the right, who then assisted Zaniolo for the winning goal, neatly placed into the bottom corner.
Gasperini, who has led Atalanta for eight years and was named Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2020, continues to build on his legacy. Last week, he received the monthly award for November, and under his guidance, Atalanta reached the Europa League title last season, although they have yet to win Serie A, achieving their highest finish of third place three times.
Cagliari, despite their loss, put forth a commendable performance and now find themselves just two points above the relegation zone.
Juventus Holds On for Draw
Juventus faced a frustrating fourth consecutive draw in Serie A but managed to maintain their unbeaten status, thanks to a last-minute penalty from Dusan Vlahovic. Just three days after a notable Champions League victory over Manchester City, Juventus appeared on the brink of a surprising defeat to Venezia. However, a controversial handball call against defender Antonio Candela allowed Vlahovic to equalize in stoppage time.
Venezia had taken the lead late in the match when Jay Idzes scored after Mikael Egill Ellertsson equalized Federico Gatti’s opener for Juventus. A loss would have marked Venezia’s first Serie A victory over Juventus in more than 60 years.
Napoli Bounces Back
Napoli rebounded from a challenging week that saw them lose their Serie A lead and exit the Italian Cup after two defeats to Lazio. In their match against Udinese, Napoli fell behind when a penalty was awarded for a handball by Stanislav Lobotka. Although goalkeeper Alex Meret saved Florian Thauvin’s initial attempt, Udinese’s captain scored on the rebound.
Romelu Lukaku equalized shortly after halftime, capitalizing on a through ball from Scott McTominay. Udinese’s misfortune continued in the 76th minute when a clearance attempt by Lautaro Giannetti inadvertently resulted in an own goal. Frank Anguissa sealed the win for Napoli five minutes later, marking a much-needed victory.
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