Palladino sees right Atalanta ‘spirit’ and reveals Scamacca worry | OneFootball

Raffaele Palladino feels the last two Atalanta victories over Chelsea and Cagliari showed ‘the right spirit’ and reveals Gianluca Scamacca almost didn’t play tonight.

It has been an ideal few days for La Dea, who beat Chelsea 2-1 in the Champions League, then held out under pressure to secure an identical result in Serie A against Cagliari.

Scamacca is finally finding his fitness after almost a year out dealing with a knee ligament injury, as he has now scored four goals in his last three competitive matches, including tonight’s double.

“It was certainly a difficult match against a good Cagliari side, who have players with pace that can hit us on the counter,” Palladino told Sky Sport Italia.

“We played a great first half, creating many chances and not running any risks. We took the lead and the only regret is that we didn’t take our other opportunities to double our lead, because if you leave these games open, then anything can happen.”

Atalanta finding their feet under Palladino

BERGAMO, ITALY – DECEMBER 13: Gianluca Scamacca of Atalanta (L) celebrates scoring his team’s first goal with teammates Davide Zappacosta (C) and Charles De Ketelaere (R) during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and Cagliari Calcio at Gewiss Stadium on December 13, 2025 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

It felt for a while as if there might be another stalemate when Gianluca Gaetano equalised, but Scamacca completed his brace just six minutes later.

“In the second half, we started to lose intensity and stamina, I think due to the many games we’ve played in the last 20 days. The thing I liked most of all is that when we conceded the equaliser at the 81st minute, we could’ve collapsed mentally, but instead we kept pushing to win it, that tells me the spirit is there in this group.”

He also revealed something unexpected about his star striker’s performance tonight.

“Scamacca had a fever, he grit his teeth and wanted to be there to help the team. I told him when I was a player, my best performances were when I was running a temperature, and he smiled. He gave his all for us.”

Since taking over from sacked Ivan Juric, this will be the first time Palladino has had a whole week to prepare for a match against Genoa.

“Winning helps you to win,” noted the coach. “We had four home wins in front of our fans in all competition, so creating that enthusiasm in Bergamo is fundamental.”

BERGAMO, ITALY – DECEMBER 13: Ademola Lookman of Atalanta runs with the ball away from Elia Caprile of Cagliari during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and Cagliari Calcio at Gewiss Stadium on December 13, 2025 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

This was the final match for Ademola Lookman and Odilon Kossounou of 2025, as they will be off on international duty for the Africa Cup of Nations.

There were also concerns during the second half when Berat Djimsiti pulled up clutching the back of his right thigh with an adductor issue.

“Obviously, we are losing two important players, it’s a pity we also lost Djimsiti today and we’ll have to see what the tests say. I will have to find different solutions, but having a week to prepare is a huge bonus,” continued the coach.

“I really haven’t had much time to work with these players on the training field when there’s a game every three days and travel too, all you have time for is recovery. Now we can concentrate on training and proposing new tactical ideas.”

BERGAMO, ITALY – DECEMBER 13: A detailed view of the Atalanta club badge seen inside the stadium prior to the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and Cagliari Calcio at Gewiss Stadium on December 13, 2025 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

While Atalanta have excelled in the Champions League and are currently in the top eight, this was only their second Serie A victory in the last 11 rounds.

“I need to drill the mentality into these lads that when times are difficult, we need to push even harder, believe even more in our capabilities, and I saw that both against Chelsea and tonight. Not everyone can go behind at home to Chelsea and turn it around, not everyone can concede a late equaliser when exhausted and push on to win it anyway.

“I congratulated the players for their efforts this evening.”