Eljif Elmas, Atalanta's Macedonian midfielder, finds himself at the centre of a club in freefall. A 3-0 home defeat against Parma on November 2 left Maurizio Sarri's side 13th in Serie A with 11 points from ten matches, and the sporting director has since placed the entire squad in a disciplinary retreat, declaring all players under scrutiny while maintaining confidence in the coach.
The timing is particularly uncomfortable for Elmas. Just over a week ago he scored the fourth goal in a 4-4 draw against Frosinone โ a lead-taking strike in the 50th minute that briefly looked like it might rescue a chaotic afternoon โ only for Aleksa Terziฤ to equalise for the promoted side in the 82nd minute. That sequence, a lead surrendered in the final ten minutes, encapsulates Atalanta's season: moments of quality undone by defensive fragility. La Dea have conceded 20 goals in ten league matches.
Elmas himself carries modest but real numbers into this difficult stretch: one goal and one assist across eight Serie A appearances, with an average rating of 6.84. An AI overall of 68 out of 100, with a potential of 74, suggests a player still capable of meaningful development, but the platform to realise that potential is currently unstable. Sarri has spoken publicly about the need for his players to be more ruthless โ a demand that applies as much to the collective as to any individual.
The Parma defeat was symptomatic of the broader problem. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring in the 41st minute, a Davide Zappacosta own goal doubled the advantage two minutes into the second half, and Simone Lontani's long-range strike made it three by the 58th minute. Atalanta never responded. The home supporters who had backed the team throughout turned vocal at the final whistle, and the club's reaction โ the retreat, the public statement โ signals that patience inside the building is thinning.
A Conference League fixture against Kairat Almaty now offers Elmas and his teammates a lower-stakes environment to rebuild some confidence before Serie A resumes. Whether that translates back into the league is the question Sarri's squad must answer with results, not words.