Atalanta 2-1 Napoli – La Dea victory underlines changes in fortune | OneFootball

Sunday’s defeat for Napoli at Atalanta was another painful illustration of how dramatically fortunes have shifted in Serie A over the past three months, and the Partenopei are on the wrong end of that story.

Cast your mind back to 22 November, when Atalanta arrived at the Maradona under new coach Raffaele Palladino and were beaten 3-1.

Since that day, the two clubs have been moving in entirely opposite directions.

NAPLES, ITALY – NOVEMBER 22: Noa Lang of SSC Napoli celebrates with teammate Sam Beukema after scoring his side’s third goal during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Atalanta BC at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on November 22, 2025 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

Atalanta win over Napoli symbolic of dramatic change of fortune

In the 14 Serie A matchdays that have followed, Atalanta have been the form team of the division, Inter aside, who are operating on a different plane entirely.

Palladino’s side have accumulated 32 points from those fixtures, winning ten and losing just twice, against Hellas Verona and Inter.

It is a remarkable turnaround for a squad that had mustered only 13 points from their opening 12 games under Ivan Juric and sat nine points adrift of the Champions League places.

BERGAMO, ITALY – JANUARY 25: Raffaele Palladino, Head Coach of Atalanta, looks on prior to the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and Parma Calcio 1913 at Gewiss Stadium on January 25, 2026 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Napoli, by contrast, have gathered just 25 points over the same period, seven fewer than Atalanta, with three defeats undermining what had looked like a genuine title challenge under Antonio Conte.

Injuries and refereeing decisions have contributed to Napoli’s difficulties, but the numbers tell their own story.

Atalanta’s resurgence is real, their momentum is building, and Sunday’s result only reinforced the sense that the balance of power in the top-four race is shifting fast.