Coppa Italia Match
Date: January 27, 2021
Time: 5:45 CET
Serie A Matchday 20
Date: January 31, 2021
Time: 3:00 CET
We’ll have the fortune to become super familiar with our foes from Rome this week with back to back games on the calendar against Lazio. With Coppa Italia on Wednesday, and Serie A on Sunday; Atalanta and Lazio may as well just powwow at Gewiss stadium, as La Dea have the good fortune of being the host for both fixtures. For Atalanta I struggle determining which game is more important. Given that the Coppa Italia quarterfinals are only a one-legged affair, advancement won’t put as much strain on the club still making it possible to effectively fight on three fronts and not succumb to fatigue. Granted this is only possible if Gasperini chooses to go with a rotation, hopefully giving Lammers, Miranchuk, and Malinovskyi time to shine in the Coppa Italia match midweek. While back to back wins against the same opponent in five days seems difficult, especially for one as competitive as Lazio, anything is possible for La Dea if they can carry their form from last weekend into the coming battles.
Fortunately with the squad depth Gasperini has built, La Dea can effectively rotate the squad, and not have players go out full gas. I worry slightly about the midfield pivot, but given Pessina’s crackerjack job filling in at the double pivot against Cagliari; I’m confident he can effectively fill in for one of de Roon or Freuler. The only issue becomes that he’ll probably be asked to start both matches on Wednesday and Sunday, although if you know anything about Matteo’s work rate and stamina, it really shouldn’t raise any problems (or for San Remo if we’re talking stamina).
Regarding the rest of the squad, we all know Muriel, Zapata, and Ilicic are firing on all cylinders up front, and they should be able to get their chances against Lazio. Again the problem always being with our Dea is finishing off chances. The Cagliari match was not a clinic in finishing, and a better opponent (read Lazio) will make you pay for your errors. I really liked the Miranchuk, Malinovskyi, Muriel attacking trio, and really want to see how they can cope with a back three a step up from what Cagliari threw out. Of course on Sunday I fully expect the classic Gasperini lineup – if for anything to show Lazio a different look. And that’s what really makes these games interesting, it becomes a two legged chess match to not show too much up front, and hold something back for round two. Lazio may not have as much fortune to be creative with their lineups, especially in the midfield and defense, and could be an advantage for Atalanta to see the same players twice in five days (more for the 2nd match).
Defensively Romero and company unlocked the Ibrahimovic puzzle, now they have a different type of striker to neutralize in Ciro Immobile. Much more of an off the ball hybrid between poacher and complete forward, stopping Ciro will come much less from bullying him around, but rather being aware of his movements. He’s always moving around, receiving the ball in different areas, and has excellent positioning to always be on the end of a tidy pass from Luis Alberto. Interestingly in the first matchup of the season, Atalanta sat deeper (similar to the Ajax match) and let Lazio have the ball most of the game and pounced on the counter. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a similar strategy, defend in greater numbers, and let Ilicic dictate the counter attack. Unfortunately we won’t have Papu to lead the attack on the counter – which he worked to perfection last time out in Rome – but if the last nine games have shown us anything, we can still defend, attack, and earn points without our old captain.
Speaking of Papu, it would be a crime not to give him at least some sort of a farewell. Regardless of his actions the last few months and what actually transpired behind closed doors, he deserves a proper goodbye given all the blood, sweat, and tears he’s given to the club over the years. I wish him success in Sevilla, and it would be poetic justice to have both Atalanta and Sevilla face off in the Champion’s League Quarterfinals. I kinda wanna know what it feels like to being on the other end of trying to stop Papu! Good luck Papu, and best of luck in Spain!
This action packed week truly has the making to be a remarkable one. Beating Lazio twice means a semi-final battle in the Coppa, and 3 points over one of our rivals for the Top 4 – a huge confidence boost going into two games likely to be a line of buses against Torino and Cagliari. The Top 7 in Serie A is so tight right now that earning points over direct rivals is essential for the 2nd half of the year, and there’d be nothing better about putting to bed who deserves Top 4 more this year – Atalanta or Lazio. I think we have the depth to pull off two home victories, it all just comes down to playing our game, and throwing a little wrinkle at Lazio to not have both tactics be carbon copies of each other. We’ve got an action packed five days of football coming, so as always Forza La Dea!
