Atalanta midfielder Gianluca Gaetano and his teammates left Roma with nothing after a 2-1 defeat in which the hosts scored twice in added time to overturn a Nerazzurri lead — a result that drops Maurizio Sarri's side to seventh in the Serie A table after three matchdays, with six points from two wins and one loss.
The defeat stings precisely because Atalanta had the result in hand. Sarri acknowledged afterwards that his team sat too deep to protect their advantage, and that admission carries weight for a squad still calibrating itself to a new tactical identity. The director of sport, Cristiano Giuntoli, had already flagged that adaptation would take time. Three matches in, the evidence supports that candour.
For Gaetano, the Roma game is the latest data point in what is shaping up as a demanding but instructive opening to his first full season with la Dea. The 26-year-old carries an average rating of 6.77 across his three Serie A appearances this term, with one assist to his name — the contribution that helped Atalanta beat Sassuolo on matchday one. That assist was the headline number from a previous strong outing; the question now is whether he can sustain influence as Sarri's system finds its shape under pressure.
His AI overall of 75 out of 100, with a potential of 79, frames him as a player with room to grow rather than one already at his ceiling. That gap matters in a transitional Atalanta side: Gaetano is not yet the finished article, but he is close enough to the finished article that the difference is measurable, not speculative.
The broader picture at the club is one of managed turbulence. Sarri is working with a squad that includes players still waiting for their competitive debuts under him, and Giuntoli's public patience suggests the club is not in crisis mode despite the late collapse against Roma. Atalanta's goal difference — four scored, three conceded across three matches — reflects a team that creates and defends adequately in regulation, but one that has not yet learned how to close a game out.
Gaetano's role in solving that problem will depend on how Sarri uses him as the season deepens. A midfielder who contributes in the final third but earns a sub-7.00 average rating over three matches is doing enough to stay in the picture, not enough to define it. The next few weeks will test whether he can push that number upward when Atalanta need someone to take the game by the collar rather than sit within it.