Never off the field Atalanta triumphs thanks to Marten De Roon
Potentially facing Inter in his first stadium, the San Siro, in February would be his second visit there. Martin De Roon is an unseen pillar for Atalanta. A guy who must play every minute of every game for Gasperini, a gladiator in the middle of the field. He has played every possible minute in the championship, clocking 1800 in only twenty days, except the one match against Napoli in November, which he missed because of suspension for warnings. In five Europa League matches, he would have started every game if he hadn't suffered from an indigestion problem in September's home encounter against Rakov, which forced him to request a substitute in the 62nd minute and miss the last thirty minutes of the match. But even in Europe, there are four complete matches (start to finish) plus a single break. Last time was in December against Rakov, when Gasperini skipped out on calling up his starting eleven for a painful journey to Poland, even though they were mathematically guaranteed first place. In the Italian Cup, a 42nd-minute collision in the rossoneri area with AC Milan midfielder Gabbia resulted in a full-time substitution for both players, ending a match against Sassuolo and an encounter at the San Siro against AC Milan.
Atalanta never starts a game without De Roon
De Roon, who has been sensational this season, has played 2354 minutes. In the starting lineup all the time because Atalanta would collapse without him—particularly if Gasp decides to move him out of midfield. In November, during an injury emergency, the coach put him back in the position he began his career in—as a defender—and the Nerazzurri won the game. As a quiet signal for De Roon, who has been waiting for Toloy's return since November by wearing the captain's armband. At twenty-four years old, San Martino arrived in 2015, when the Goddess was still a struggling regional player. At the time, Atalanta had signed up an unknown player from Heerenveen in the Dutch Eredivisie. The LiveScores website has every major sporting event reported. The purchase price of $1.5 million was the first true bargain during the Percassi administration. He appeared in 299 matches for the Nerazzurri throughout his first seven years there (with a "break" year at Middlesbrough), averaging 43 appearances year. Having appeared in 27 of the team's 29 games this season, he now has 326 appearances for the Nerazzurri, putting him in third place all-time, behind only Doni (323), and Anceleri (324), who were both surpassed on Sunday. If he doesn't get hurt in February, he'll become the second player in Serie A history to reach 331 goals; he might achieve it on February 28 in extra time at the Meazza against Inter—interestingly, at the same venue and against the same opponent with whom he made his Atalanta debut on August 24, 2015—for Atalanta. After 33 years after the March 29th win, the orange midfielder finally had his shot at Giampaolo Bellini's 435-match record. What he may accomplish at the conclusion of the 2025/26 season, at the age of 35.
Atalanta to add central defender
Atalanta is interested in the center defender, a 28-year-old Polish player. The plan put up by Pawel Dawidowicz, a central defender from Verona, Poland, who is 28 years old, to fortify Atalanta's defense at the last minute and on a budget. In the winter transfer window, the Nerazzurri added 25-year-old Swedish defender Isak Hien to their roster in early January. Hien was acquired from Verona for 9 million euros, and Serena Diao Balde, a 19-year-old striker from Spain who was part of the Serie C Under-23 youth team, was also sent to Bergamo. There is a strong bond between the Verona and Bergamo clubs. Hien and Balde have joined the yellow and blue teams from Verona, while Radunovic, Colli, Sutalo, Pessina, Tamese, Piccoli, and Cortinovis have all been loaned out to them in recent years along the A4 on the Bergamo-Verona axis. Not to mention Fabio Gatti, who is now managing the Under-23 national team, and Toni D'Amico, who is the sports director of the Nerazzurri and will remain on the Adige coasts until the summer of 2022.