Charles De Ketelaere has returned from Belgium duty with a clearer physical outlook and an equally clear view of his preferred position. For Atalanta, both matters carry weight as Maurizio Sarri looks for a stable attacking balance over the long Serie A season.
De Ketelaere’s case for the middle
In an interview during the international break, the Belgian said that, if asked to define his role in football, he would choose centre-forward. He has played there for Belgium since 2024, often operating as a false nine and finding the central spaces that best suit his game.
“I feel more comfortable through the middle than out near the touchline, where I cannot express myself at my best,” De Ketelaere said. He also stressed that individual preference cannot outweigh the needs of the side: “It had been a long time since I had played wide, but football is a team sport and the team comes first. I am not someone who thinks only about himself; that is one of my strengths and part of how I built my career.”
His recent international record supports the argument. At the World Cup in the United States, De Ketelaere scored three times, including Spain’s only goal conceded in the competition, and supplied an assist in the knockout rounds.
- Belgium changed coach, with Mark Van Bommel replacing Rudi Garcia.
- De Ketelaere nevertheless retained his starting place throughout the Nations League.
- He set up Dodi Lukebakio in the 2-0 win against Italy.
- He then provided the assist for Romelu Lukaku in Belgium’s 3-0 victory over Turkey.
Sarri’s selection problem on the right
Atalanta have used De Ketelaere on the right of Sarri’s 4-3-3, not only because the coach sees a role for him there but also because the alternatives are limited. The Nicola Zalewski experiment did not deliver the desired result, while Giacomo Raspadori and Kamaldeen Sulemana would be adapted options, given that both are more naturally inclined to start from the left.
That makes it likely that De Ketelaere will spend much of the campaign on the right, even if he sees his best work in central areas. The centre-forward place is already the subject of competition between Nikola Krstovic and Gianluca Scamacca, one of the recurring selection questions of Sarri’s opening months in Bergamo.
Yet the closing stages against Juventus offered a possible route towards a different arrangement. Sarri has been working not only on his familiar 4-3-3 but also on a 4-2-3-1, and the late change against Juventus gave a glimpse of how De Ketelaere could be moved inside.
- In the 84th minute, Eljif Elmas replaced Rowe.
- The Macedonian took up a very wide position on the right.
- De Ketelaere moved into the No. 10 role close to Scamacca.
- Raspadori started from the left with the freedom to come inside.
The idea was to bring Atalanta’s more technical forwards closer together. It is a solution Sarri could revisit in the coming weeks, particularly because De Ketelaere’s contribution in Bergamo has been substantial: 32 goals and 32 assists since joining the club.
Fitness first after a difficult start
Before the debate over his best position comes the more immediate issue of condition. De Ketelaere’s early-season performances were affected by a late return from the World Cup and an adductor problem that disrupted his preparation.
He is now in much better shape and is expected to play again in Belgium’s final international commitment, away to Zinedine Zidane’s France. For Atalanta, his availability is the most encouraging outcome of a long break in the domestic calendar.
The summer brought interest from Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, with De Ketelaere himself confirming the PSG approach. But he remains one of the central figures in Atalanta’s season. Sarri may continue to ask him to serve the collective from the right, while keeping open the possibility that the Belgian’s strongest influence will eventually be found closer to goal.
