Consolidation has been key for the past couple of seasons for Atalanta since their return to the top flight. In the 2013/14 campaign, they managed to achieve their highest finish since being back in Serie A. However, it is a mark of how far Stefano Colantuono has taken this club that an 11th place finish was considered something of a disappointment in some quarters. The summer was key for the club as they managed to keep the core of players that had brought them satisfiable results last season and, because of that, the same traits remained. Atalanta were never the most free-scoring of sides but in German Denis they held onto a powerful striker who certainly guarantees a healthy number of goals. The creative ingenuity of Giacomo Bonaventura and Maxi Moralez was also pivotal in their success. There were some shrewd signings in the transfer market - the most successful of them was probably experienced defender Mario Yepes, who slotted in seamlessly at the back. However, the unsung hero was Luca Cigarini who was the model of consistency in the middle of the park but also came out of his shell to top the assist charts for the club. Atalanta remained the consistently inconsistent team they were last season. They have traditionally been very strong and difficult to beat at home and that didn't change as they won 11 of their 19 matches in Bergamo, taking some big scalps along the way. Many of those scalps came in a club record run of six straight victories in March which propelled the club into the mix for a European qualification spot. However, a torrid run-in saw them lose 5 of their last 7 matches and put an end to that pipe dream. Nevertheless, Colantuono continues to make fine progress with this team who have now established themselves in the top flight and will look to push on further next season.
