After a subdued year the club is waiting for a response. Also in view of next season
Charles De Keteleare is approaching at the World Cup with Belgium driven by a desire for relaunch. His season at Atalanta, also due to a serious injury, was not entirely brilliant. Of the three with the Bergamo players it was the first ended without reaching double figures in goals and assists.
His numbers
—
The first ended with 14 goals and 11 assists, the second with 13 and 13, the latter with 5 and 7. The season, as we said, was not a straight line. It has slowed down. First a physical problem at the end of September which reverberated until October, then the most serious one to the internal meniscus of his right knee which forced him to end up in the operating room. A month’s stop between February and March, in the heart of the Bergamo season, which penalized the Dea and mentally slowed down the Belgian talent. Because if you look at the minutes played, CDK remained in line with previous seasons. In the championship he even beat his own record, reaching 2,190′ played plus recoveries, while he had stopped at 2,080′ and 2,042′ in the two previous seasons. But what Charles lacked was brilliancethe ability to find the right play to create numerical superiority with continuity. Some of it was seen, some of it wasn’t. In short, not the De Ketelaere that Atalanta welcomed to Bergamo in 2023 after a negative season at Milan, transforming him into a top-level player. Perhaps unconsciously the approach of the World Cup may have had an impact on a spiritual level. But it doesn’t take anything away from what the Goddess thinks of him. Charles will be one of the cornerstones of the new project with Maurizio Sarri on the bench. Its quality is unquestionable and he will also be very useful in the 4-3-3. In Italy there are few players capable of blowing up opposing lines like him. The approaching World Cup is a showcase that will relaunch it.
The Global Opportunity
—
It will give him a boost and enthusiasm which he will then take to Zingonia. Inserted in a group with Egypt, Iran and New Zealand, it is logical to think that Belgium can lead the way. Both for the quality of coach Rudi Garcia’s squad and for the opponents of the first phase. The smile with which he presented himself at the gathering with the national team and with which he was immortalized with the federal mascot gives us a focused and certainly serene Charles. Tomorrow, in the late afternoon, he will challenge his teammate Mario Pasalic in Rijeka in a friendly match against Croatia. On Saturday the test in Brussels against Tunisia and then the departure for the World Cup. A tournament that De Ketelaere has already experienced in 2022 even if not as a protagonist. Four years ago he played a quarter of an hour against Morocco, while he remained on the bench against Canada and Croatia. The Red Devils’ adventure ended in the group stage and so their World Cup never took off. In these four years De Ketelaere has matured on and off the pitch. Thanks to Atalanta he was able to consistently play in the Champions League and win a Europa League. This is why Belgium continued to call him up, elevating him in the internal hierarchies of one of the most relevant elements. His flexibility and intelligence help him. In fact, he was also seen playing as a “false new player” with Belgium, also applying himself in that position and making himself useful. «I have grown as a player – he said in March -, I like being at Atalanta. I’m super happy there.” Mutual pleasure, Charles.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
