In a season where headlines have been made on and off the pitch by just one man, and key results had a key contribution given to them by just one man, let’s reflect on Atalanta’s 2014/15 season as a whole and try to find some aspects which don’t relate to German Denis.
They end this season’s campaign in 17th position in the league table, three points off the relegation places.
Winning just one out of their first five matches didn’t give the fans the positive start they wanted, and this proportion remained the same throughout the season, although a few surprising results did occur here and there.
Defeating AC Milan at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, holding Napoli to a 1-1 draw both home and away and also securing the same scoreline away to Roma is no easy task, let alone for a club who were battling for relegation.
A string of a few good results towards the end of the season, however, meant that survival was not a matter of if, but when.
At first after Edoardo Reja’s hiring, their stubbornness failed to stop nerves spreading through the Atalanta faithful at the thought of a possible relegation to Serie B, with his first match ending in a goalless draw at problem filled Parma.
These worries were then intensified when the club’s main man, German Denis, was banned for five games after his attack on Empoli defender Lorenzo Tonelli following a 2-2 draw on April 26.
This concern, however, vanished on May 10 following a 3-2 win away to Palermo, and everyone could breathe a sigh of relief after securing Serie A survival for a fourth consecutive year.
Reja is yet to go through a transfer window with the club, but with ‘El Tanque’ on a contract to keep him at the club until 2017, the club’s fans can look forward to plenty more goals next season from the man who, let’s be fair, is the reason Atalanta have stayed up.
Player of the Season
You already know who I’m going to say. Yes, with eight goals, making him the club’s top scorer this season, German Denis has yet again proved to be the man that brings all the pieces of Atalanta together.
Most memorably on January 18 at the San Siro where his goal earned his side three points away to the mighty AC Milan, but also a brace against Sassuolo and a late minute equaliser against Empoli, the Argentine international’s goals helped Atalanta gain the three points that put them ahead of the unfortunate Cesena, Cagliari and Parma.
Even with his five match ban towards the end of the season, Denis’ goals earlier on in the campaign gave the club an advantage over their lower placed rivals which they could fall back on in his absence.
He may be ageing a bit at 33, but the Capocannoniere for this season was joint won by a 38-year-old, so I would say there are a few seasons in him yet.
Goal of the Season
Atalanta have had a love affair with overhead kicks this year so it’s difficult to pick one that stands out from the rest.
Honourable mentions should go to Yohan Benalouane and Mauricio Pinilla, who also provided us with these feats of athleticism.
The chosen one for this award occurred on April 12, when La Dea hosted Sassuolo and the first half looked to be a fairly dull 45 minutes, until German Denis, (surprise, surprise), decided to prevent that.
A Maximiliano Moralez flick on from a throw-in was met by the Argentine international, who put the ball away in some style.
The game was eventually won by Atalanta thanks to a double from Denis, while it was also gave newly appointed coach Reja his first win on the Orobici bench.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqVVvn0nbIQ[/youtube]
Best and Worst Signings
Given that Atalanta conceded the most goals outside of the relegation zone, it’s difficult to praise the defence, although Davide Zappacosta’s efforts since joining last summer shouldn’t be missed.
Mauricio Pinilla gets this award after often acting as a replacement for German Denis when he was banned since joining on loan in January, for example he got the two goals in the 2-2 draw away to relegation rivals Cesena.
Alejandro Gomez has also popped up on the score sheet since joining in September, most importantly with the winning goal away to Palermo that secured top-flight football for the club.
The worst signing would probably be the pointless loan of Vladimir Avramov from Torino. Marco Sportiello is continuing to perform well in between the Atalanta sticks, and at the old age of 36, Avramov was never going to make a huge impact.
After only appearing twice, and being sent off in one of those games, fans will be happy to see the Serbian return to his parent club.
The Coach
Losing only three times since his appointment on March 4, it is no surprise that new coach Edoardo Reja said he is comfortable in his new role with the Orobici.
The 69-year-old could be seen as the club’s saviour; Atalanta struggled to find consistency under previous boss Stefano Colantuono. Being in eighth place in the table in one week, 17th a couple of rounds later and then 13th the next doesn’t give the fans a reason to be confident.
Colantuono became the fifth coaching change in the Serie A season when he was sacked due to worries that the club might not be able to hold onto their grasp of the Italian top-flight for another season, and the constant yo-yoing in the league table was no reassurance that this issue would be resolved.
Consistency, however, is Reja’s middle name, and after he was brought in, La Dea found comfort in 17th position and didn’t budge for the rest of the campaign.
