Josip Ilicic, the leading player of Atalanta this season, will miss the Champions League knockout stages.
According to the reports, Ilicic has travelled back to Slovenia due to personal reasons.
In the beginning, there were official announcements from Atalanta that Ilicic is missing matches because of an injury. Ilicic didn't recover well from the coronavirus break. Before the Serie A was suspended, the Slovenian striker scored 15 goals in 21 league matches. He also made one of his career's peaks when he scored four goals versus Valencia in the epic win at the Champions League round of 16. Since the league resumed, Ilicic made five appearances and failed to find the net.
Behind the scenes, it seems that Ilicic's absence is much more serious. The Italian media reports that Ilicic has suffered from depression in recent weeks. There are rumors that it might be caused by relationship issues with his wife. Other rumors deal with the coronavirus lockdown in Bergamo. No matter what will be the reason, for Atalanta, it will affect their participation in the Champions League matches during August. "Ilicic is an important player for us, it's like Juventus without Dybala or Lazio without Immobile," said Atalanta manager, Gian Piero Gasperini. "We are getting better every day, but it would be difficult without him," added Gasperini.
It seems that Ilicic's story became part of the unexpected narrative of Atalanta and the city of Bergamo. Back in March, the town celebrated with Atalanta its historic moment, as the club qualified to the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time. Ilicic was the hero, the one who led the club in the fantastic performance at Mestalla.
Eventually, it was the beginning of the crush. The first match against Valencia in San Siro was later described as a 'biological bomb'. Researchers found it as the first coronavirus outbreak point in Bergamo, the city that suffered the most in Italy. There is an estimation that more than half of Bergamo's citizens, about 60,000 people, were infected. These were hard days for Bergamo that nobody remembered the recent success.
Four months later, Atalanta is playing again, and the city is trying to recover from the overwhelming period, but it isn't over yet. For people in Bergamo, just like in other places around the world, there is the challenge of getting over the economic crisis. Another crisis that is not getting enough attention and that is the psychological effect. The tensions after a long time of lockdown and quarantine can harm people and cause mental health disorders.
Atalanta has returned to the Serie A well. The team won a Champions League berth again and managed to have some good results, including a draw against Juventus. Now, they need to get ready for their next challenge – the Champions League quarter-final against PSG. Papu Gomez, Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel will try and keep the scoring pace of the Bergamo club.
For Atalanta, it will be more than just playing in the final tournament. It will be their chance to bring joy to Bergamo. They will do it for those who were left behind, those who didn't recover yet. No matter if it's Josip Ilicic or an anonymous person, Atalanta will play for them.
Thumbnail photo by Atalanta BC Twitter account.
