Atalanta up the Italian ante

As they get ready to face ACF Fiorentina on Saturday, promoted Atalanta BC are showing there is more to the Bergamo club than a famed youth system.

Bergamo bred
Fourth in Serie A following a tremendous 2-0 home victory against AC Milan last weekend, Atalanta have long been admired for the strength of their academy, with six members of the Italy squad that competed at this summer's UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Portugal having been groomed there. Two of those youngsters, Riccardo Montolivo and Giampaolo Pazzini, will be lining up against their old side at the Franchi stadium. Striker Pazzini has recovered from a serious knee problem and could be used in place of Luca Toni, who is not fully fit.

Montolivo impresses
Midfielder Montolivo, who scored three of Italy's four goals in qualifying for the 2007 U21 finals in the Netherlands, is showing the extent of his potential under Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli, another former Atalanta man. "I don't know the secret of Atalanta's youth system but I'd like to note that they always treat trainees as people first and then as players," said Montolivo. "There they give you an education, they follow you at school, they teach you how to live. I think it's a very important aspect of their success."

Shock results
The continuous conveyor belt of Atalanta talent is no great surprise in Italy, but their results in Serie A since returning to the top flight this summer have been headline news, with old boys Nicola Ventola and Cristiano Doni shining in their second comings after spells away from Atalanta. After stints at FC Internazionale Milano, AC Siena and Crystal Palace FC, striker Ventola, 28, rejoined Atalanta after five years away and scored 15 goals as the Orobici gained promotion. This term he has already registered four times, including a great strike against Milan.

Dangerous Doni
Doni, meanwhile, played for Atalanta between 1998 and 2003 and came home in the close season after turning out for UC Sampdoria and RCD Mallorca. At 33, he shows no signs of losing his goalscoring touch and is the team's leading marksman with five goals. Atalanta coach Stefano Colantuono, in his first campaign at this level, and is understandably keeping his sights low. "I have a fantastic squad and could hardly have imagined a better start," he said. "But nothing has changed for us. We still want to avoid relegation as soon as possible. Flying too high can be dangerous sometimes."

Other fixtures
In the weekend's other Serie A games, joint leaders FC Internazionale Milano and US Città di Palermo face Parma FC and Torino FC respectively on Sunday, while AC Milan tackle fellow UEFA Champions League contenders AS Roma at the San Siro on Saturday.