The black-and-blue Primavera got through a rather cumbersome season and eventually avoided relegation at the literal eleventh hour: after accruing the 10-point margin ahead of the third-last team in the very last game of the season, relief and a liberating cry of joy filled the air. The lads coached by Giovanni Bosi, who replaced Marco Fioretto at the helm of the black-and-blue Primavera since early May, racked up 10 points in their last five league fixtures, providing a wide enough gap to stave off Relegation Rounds. “It has been a very intense experience but, at the same time, a very satisfying one. The lads never lost heart before difficulties and finished the season with some good performances. As I continuously tell them, good performances are often followed by good results. Their attitude and determination were key in pulling out of this situation. I hope this will serve as a lesson to all of us for the coming years, as we must always try to do better and better”.
“The wave of relief we felt was amazing – continued the Atalanta coach -, especially because I saw so many people here in Zingonia happy: the Primavera, after all, is the final expression of the work of so many people”. CEO Luca Percassi also participated in the post-match celebrations after the last game: “He was very close to us, we are happy to have done a good job that allowed us to secure safety in the league without going through the relegation rounds”.
In winding up, coach Bosi also wished to tender the pride stemming from various Primavera players entering the squad list of the 1st-team, with De Nipoti’s debut as the pinnacle of all his efforts: “Beyond the final outcomes, my greatest triumph surely is the lads taking their first professional steps in football, if they can even make it for Atalanta all the better. We should also give credit to coach Gasperini and thank his helpfulness, which facilitated us in every possible way. For instance, even though the first team was going through a tough patch and was short-staffed, never did he resort to depriving us of our players and instead allowed us to always face the most crucial fixtures in full force. He really helped us out when we needed it the most and his support also positively impacted on our results”.
For coach Bosi, who was the appointed coach of the Under-16 until early May, it was like living two seasons at once: “My stint at the helm of the U16s was also a great and rewarding experience, especially given how, at that age, you can really witness how our lads improve in leaps and bounds. The team is shaping up to be really exciting, is littered with many budding players and they have pleasantly and consistently kept a high playing benchmark throughout the season. What really stands out is how both their team spirit and their quality, when it came to carrying out schemes and tactics, picked up as time went by. My only regret is having made it to the Final Phase while also going through a bad streak from a physical standpoint (mainly due to the many, and at times severe, injuries); yet again, the lads got through quite a solid season altogether”.
