Using a hand to comb away his thick white hair as he joyfully commented on the "very entertaining" Atalanta versus Juventus game last week, Gian Piero Gasperini couldn't help but chortle.

It was the moment when Sky Italia asked about his Atalanta side being four points adrift of first-placed Napoli and whether they would find themselves at a crossroads in the upcoming match against the two sides.

Gasperini was unequivocal, responding: "It's not a crossroads!"

It's a remarkable turn of events when journalists are pondering the disappointment Atalanta must feel after three league draws in a row.

La Dea have since lost to Napoli over the weekend to slip to third in the table, but the coach is still thrilled to be in the mix, fighting and challenging when the club's ambitions were, once upon a time, centred around top-flight survival.

In the five years prior to Gasperini's arrival in 2016, Atalanta had never managed to finish in the top half of the Serie A table. Finishing 11th in 2014 was the best they had fared.

But since 2016 Atalanta have never finished below eighth place, regularly managing top-four positions and so earning a place in the Champions League.

Gasperini is criminally underrated but one must wonder, is he one of the greatest Italian coaches of our time? He's up against some hefty competition, after all - Carlo Ancelotti has won everything there is to win in club football while the likes of Antonio Conte, Max Allegri and Simone Inzaghi have repeatedly created winning teams that have secured their place in history.

Lazio coach Marco Baroni has no doubts. "Atalanta have, in my view - no disrespect towards others - the best coach of the last decade in Italy and a real reference point for so many tacticians."

Italians have often debated whether a coach can be regarded as the best if he doesn't have the accolades to prove it. Winning the Europa League - achieved by destroying the invincible club of last season, Bayer Leverkusen - changed minds. Gasperini was no longer an interesting coach, he was now a winning coach.

"I don't understand this thing about being judged by trophies. It's not like I'm any better now than I was this afternoon," responded Gasperini when questioned on the topic after that European final.

How does one judge a great coach? Ancelotti is rather remarkable in his ability to win relentlessly, creating the atmosphere that breeds success. Inzaghi's football at Inter is stunning to watch, earning him and his side several trophies. But both of these coaches train incredible talent at big teams with big budgets - and even bigger reputations.

Gasperini has learned to accept that the better he does, the quicker he loses his best players. The Goddess can thrill but she must always sell, and Gasperini is back at square one at the start of nearly every season, teaching, developing and transmitting his footballing ideals.

In November it was announced for the 9th season in a row that Atalanta had closed their accounts in profit. Since Antonio Percassi became president in 2010, the club has made nearly 600m euros in capital gains. Over 400m euros of that came when Gasperini was installed as coach, proving just how well the coach has developed players into stars coveted by the biggest European teams.

Under Gasperini, Atalanta have sold a plethora of exciting talent for sizable amounts of money. Whether it be Rasmus Hojlund to Manchester United for £72m, Teun Koopmeiners to Juventus for £46.1m, Cristian Romero for £42.5m or Dejan Kulusevski for £29.7m, La Dea have been well compensated for Gasperini's ability to extract talent and dedication from talented young players.

"I worked with coaches like Mourinho, Ancelotti and Rafa Benitez, but nobody like Gasperini. He taught me so much on a human, technical and tactical level," remarked Thiago Motta in 2016 when still a player for Paris Saint-Germain.

A tactical genius, Gasperini's teams are instantly recognisable for their fluidity, relentless attacks, and intense and aggressive pressing. Yet in a league built upon neutralising strengths, Atalanta have rarely been exposed - in fact they appear harder to beat every season, even when playing every three days.

"We don't have too many thoughts rattling around our minds. We do play a bit like kids, with a sense of freedom," explains Gasperini. His ability to exploit the potential of his players while remaining faithful to his footballing ideals has ensured Atalanta's success. Players feel confident, empowered to trust their instincts but also aware that life is hard under Gasperini.

"During training, my players need to struggle; those who aren't used to working hard scare me," Gasperini told the Guardian.

"I had never seen such intensive pre-season training as Gasperini's with Atalanta," exclaimed Duvan Zapata. "There were moments when I thought, I simply can't do this. I can't. I'd wait 30 seconds and then go again."

This season Atalanta were not obliged to sell and fought to keep hold of the likes of Ademola Lookman after losing Koopmeiners to Juventus. They wanted to grow as a team and a club.

However, with several injuries to contend with, Gasperini was angry at having an incomplete squad at the start of the season, claiming they were heading into the Uefa Super Cup against Real Madrid with a less competitive squad to the one that won the Europa League.

But when the new transfers arrived and settled in, La Dea proved their competitiveness by winning 11 Serie A games in a row. Mateo Retegui arrived from Genoa and is already Serie A's top scorer with 14 goals, such is Gasperini's ability to create monsters in attack.

Could Atalanta win Serie A? Prior to their defeat by Napoli this weekend, many in Italy believed they had a chance. La Dea remain in third place, seven points below Napoli and four points off Inter who have a game in hand but are the most complete squad in Italy. With so many matches left to play, it's too early to stop believing.

For now, Gasperini is preparing to collect more points in the Champions League and Sturm Graz await.