That Atalanta should pick this weekend to record their first win against Juventus in two decades felt powerfully poignant
Hours before 12 of Europe’s leading football clubs announced plans for a breakaway Super League that would shield them from the consequences of sporting failure, one was busy demonstrating why such protection might be desired. Juventus, winners of the past nine Serie A titles, fell to fourth in the table as they lost 1-0 at Atalanta, dropping behind their opponents in the process.
The Bianconeri could have slipped all the way out of the Champions League places if Napoli had beaten Internazionale later that evening. In the event, those clubs drew, but Juventus’s margin for error has evaporated. The gap to Napoli is now just two points, while sixth-placed Lazio could close to within one if they win their game in hand.
Related: Only someone who truly hates football can be behind a European super league | Jonathan Liew
Here's a clue as to why 12 clubs have signed up for a European Super League:
They lost a combined £1.2 billion in 2019/20 before player sales*
And that was for a season where only the last 3 months were impacted by COVID...
*Liverpool have not yet published their accounts pic.twitter.com/7o1ubiDX6z
Related: Explainer: how will the new European Super League work?
Crotone 1-2 Udinese, Sampdoria 3-1 Verona, Sassuolo 3-1 Fiorentina, Cagliari 4-3 Parma, Milan 2-1 Genoa, Atalanta 1-0 Juventus, Bologna 4-1 Spezia, Lazio 5-3 Benevento, Torino 3-1 Roma, Napoli 1-1 Inter
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