North Carolina Wesleyan Men's Soccer

10 Things In Italy: Daniele De Rossi, Antonio Conte, & The City Of Milan

10 Things In Italy: Daniele De Rossi, Antonio Conte, & The City Of Milan

This week's edition of "10 Things in Italy" reporters on Antonio Conte's new appointment to Inter Milan and much more.

May 31, 2019 by Adam Digby
10 Things In Italy: Daniele De Rossi, Antonio Conte, & The City Of Milan

The season is over, but 10 Things is here once again to catch you up on the final week of action in Serie A.

1.Atalanta Make History

Needing a positive result to ensure they finished in the top four, Atalanta fell behind to Sassuolo after just 19 minutes. They remained calm, however, fighting back to level terms before half time and eventually running out 3-1 winners to secure the club their first-ever berth in the Champions League.

That led to wild celebrations in Bergamo, richly deserved after an excellent campaign. Atalanta boasted a togetherness and commitment that should be the envy of even the teams who finished above them, their style lifting an extraordinary group of players to an even higher level.



Their entire approach was summed up by striker Duvan Zapata who – after scoring 23 goals in Serie A this term – is understandably being seen as a target for some of Europe’s biggest clubs but seems fully committed to being with La Dea next season.

“Being linked with Real Madrid makes me proud, but I try to stay calm, with my feet on the ground, and think about what’s to come,” the Colombia international said this week when Radio Caracol asked about his future. “It was a dream season. We managed to reach a historic objective for Atalanta, qualifying for the Champions League: we’re happy and we can’t wait to play in it!”

This is a team, in every sense of the word.

2. Gian Piero Gasperini Commits To The Cause

With his players fully committed to the club, the biggest danger to Atalanta seemed to be the future of boss Gian Piero Gasperini. The coach had been linked to the vacant seat at AS Roma, while his final post-match press conference this season seemed to see him make a list of demands if he were to remain with La Dea.

“The important thing now is that we share the same ideas,” he told reporters. “Atalanta finished third. That is a fact. If we are going into the Champions League, we need a squad equipped to do well and not embarrass ourselves or Italian football. We can’t go in there with a ‘sad’ transfer strategy and then people a few months later tell me it’s the strongest team Atalanta have ever had.”



However, within days the issues must have been resolved as Atalanta announced he had signed a new contract, committing to the club until June 2022. 

“With great satisfaction, I can confirm that the relationship between Atalanta and our coach Gian Piero Gasperini will continue,” President Antonio Percassi told the club’s official website. 

For fans of entertaining football, that is great news indeed!

3. Inter Cling On To Fourth

Behind Atalanta, Inter started the weekend in fourth place and were hoping to hold off their city cousins AC Milan for the final Champions League berth. Empoli gave them a tough challenge but ultimately the Nerazzurri overcame the Tuscan outfit, winning thanks to goals from Keita Balde and Radja Nainggolan. 

They had been their own worst enemies all season, constantly dropping points at crucial moments and with drama engulfing them on repeated occasions. Most of it concerned Mauro Icardi, a situation his teammate Lautaro Martinez described as “complicated for everyone.”

How that plays out will likely have a huge effect on how Inter begin next term.

4. Luciano Spalletti Out, Antonio Conte In!

While Atalanta handed Gasperini a new contract immediately after he earned a spot in the Champions League, the drama at Inter meant they chose to part ways with their coach. Luciano Spalletti has struggled to bring any stability or consistency to the team, so while they thanked him for his efforts, moving on was ultimately the right decision. 



Inter appointed Antonio Conte as Spalletti’s successor today, and his ability to galvanize a squad needs little introduction after league titles with Juventus and Chelsea. With the Bianconeri in flux over their own coaching situation, the former Italy boss has an ideal opportunity to get off to a good start and he will need to if he is to win over fans of a club he has previously lambasted. 

5. AC Milan Start Over… Again!

Inter and Atlanta might have ended the season on a high, but the final day of 2018-19 was not so kind for AC Milan, who missed out on Champions League football. That could have huge ramifications for a club who have fallen foul of UEFA’s Financial Fair regulations, with money now set to be extremely tight. 

Gennaro Gattuso has walked away, refusing to accept the money he was owed out of loyalty to the club. 

“Mine is a painful but thoughtful choice,” he told La Repubblica earlier this week. “Am I giving up a two-year contract? Yes, because my story with Milan can never be a question of money.”

That decision deserves huge praise, particularly in the cash-hungry environment football has become, but the choices ahead for Milan could have much more far-reaching consequences. Sporting director Leonardo has also moved on, leaving the club needing to start over once again, and with those aforementioned financial restrictions, it will not be an easy task for whoever is appointed.

6. Genoa & Fiorentina Survive, Then Go Up For Sale

Courtesy of Inter’s win over Empoli, it was the Tuscan minnows who were eventually relegated from Serie A. That meant that both Genoa and Fiorentina survived the drop following their clash on the final day, a game which played out in bizarre circumstances at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. 

“We’re not happy, even though we avoided relegation,” Viola boss Vincenzo Montella told Sky Italia after that stalemate. “It was a tense game. We’ve had a very strange season, thankfully it’s over now. We risked everything and it could’ve gone a lot worse.”



The future is still uncertain for both clubs, however. Fiorentina are the subject of a takeover bid by New York Cosmos owner Rocco Commisso. Meanwhile, Genoa President Enrico Preziosi told TeleNord that he had “reached the moment to end” his time at the helm and that he had received offers for the club already. 

7. Another Palermo Fiasco

As if to send Genoa and Fiorentina a warning about the danger they had avoided, there was yet more news for Palermo this week as it was announced they would retain their place in Serie B next term. 

The Sicilian outfit had been handed an immediate relegation for financial irregularities after a number of failed takeovers of their own, but that was rescinded this week after an appeal and Palermo will be in the second tier in 2019-20.

8. Domenico Berardi Has Another Meltdown

With little left to play for, Domenico Berardi still had time for one final outburst this season, completely losing control just as the half time whistle blew during Sassuolo’s match with Atalanta. 



As was mentioned earlier, his team went on to lose and the 24-year-old will be suspended for the first game of next term. It should come as no surprise, however, with the red card last weekend the fifth of Berardi’s career, while the winger has also collected an incredible 52 yellows in just 177 Serie A appearances. 

9. Four-Match Ban For Mario Balotelli

Not to be outdone, Mario Balotelli potentially drew an end to his time with Marseille last weekend with an incredibly reckless challenge that would perhaps even leave Berardi asking questions.



The former Manchester City man has been given a four-match ban by Ligue 1, but he is unlikely to serve any of them as he is expected to move on this summer. Wherever he lands, we can almost certainly expect more fireworks, it just remains to be seen if they are metaphorical or not...

10. Daniele De Rossi’s Last Goodbye

It is only right that we end this week’s column with Daniele De Rossi, the iconic midfielder bidding farewell to AS Roma after spending his entire career with the club. There was not a dry eye at the Stadio Olimpico as the captain waved goodbye, and the fans certainly ensured he knew just what a special place he holds in their hearts.



One banner read, “Every card, every elbow and sliding tackle. You on the pitch are like we are behind the glass,” while the best of the night said ,"You represented us on the pitch for 18 years... from now on, your Curva will forever represent you. We are all DDR."

No matter who you support, players like De Rossi deserve immense respect and admiration. He will be sorely missed.

Adam Digby is an Italian football writer for FourFourTwo, The Independent, and elsewhere. Author of "Juventus: A History In Black & White." Follow Adam on Twitter.