Atalanta BC lost its momentum it had built in its first two Serie A seasons in its stint, eventually being relegated following a playoff against Reggina.
The championship was such competitive than Atalanta was only four points away from repeating its 9th place from the 2001-02 season, but instead had to face Serie B competition, losing key players such as Cristiano Doni, Luciano Zauri and Ousmane Dabo to bigger clubs.
Source: [citation needed]