Gian Piero Gasperini has reached an impressive landmark as he will take charge of Atalanta for the 400th time when La Dea kick off against Hellas Verona at the Gewiss Stadium in Serie A on Saturday afternoon.
Gasperini, currently the longest-serving Serie A coach by a five-year margin, has been at the helm in Bergamo since the summer of 2016. Simone Inzaghi is currently the second-longest serving coach in the division, having been in charge of Inter for three years and three months, followed by Fabio Pecchia at Parma and Alberto Gilardino at Genoa.
Gasperini has accomplished plenty of accolades during his time in charge of La Dea, including multiple Champions League qualifications and a run to the Coppa Italia final, but nothing thus far tops the 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final back in May.
Atalanta’s Italian coach Gian Piero Gasperini smiles, holding the trophy as Atalanta’s players celebrate after the UEFA Europa League final football match between Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen at the Dublin Arena stadium, in Dublin, on May 22, 2024. Atalanta won the game 3-0. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
During his eight-and-a-bit-year spell in charge of Atalanta, Gasperini has brought a record of 1.78 points per game in Serie A. That record is made up of 206 wins, 93 draws and 100 losses.
Atalanta have scored 770 goals in all competitions under Gasperini’s reign and have conceded 479 across the same period for an average of 1.93 goals scored per game and 1.2 goals conceded.
123 different players have turned out for Atalanta during Gasperini’s tenure.
“This is his ninth season with us and I think that’s almost unique in Europe,” Atalanta director Luca Percassi said before kick-off against Verona.
“As a family, we are very fond of the coach, as he is with us. I think today is his 400th match with Atalanta and if we are achieving these figures, it means we’ve done something truly significant.”
There could be further celebrations for Gasperini next week as well, as he has been included on the Ballon d’Or shortlist for the coach of the year award, alongside Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso, Pep Guardiola, Lionel Scaloni and Luis de la Fuente.
