On the corporate sponsored international day of love; Luis Muriel and Atalanta delivered a cold blow to the folks of Sardinia in the closing minutes of the match. As they say all is fair in love and war – and one club had to be on the losing end of yesterday’s duel. Fortunately, it was not us – but you do have to feel for a Cagliari team that had a strong game plan and nearly pulled out a point it desperately needed.
Cagliari definitely does not play like a team that is 18th in the table. Rugani largely neutralized Ilicic, Zapata only had one fresh look on target (which was a cross-bar away from going in), and the front line dangerously pressed Atalanta’s backline to good success. In fact Cagliari desperately ran their tails off, netting 10 more kilometers covered than La Dea. In the end, the extra calories burned didn’t do anything but delay the inevitable until minute 90. Luis Muriel continues to show why he’s the best impact sub in the league, embarrassing two Cagliari defenders and ripping a shot near post past Cragno.
And as fast as love comes it was nearly taken away – except the knight in shining armor named VAR came to instill order. In what looked like a penalty in the closing seconds of the match, Rugani put on his best acting performance to draw an initial penalty – but in the end it was merely a brilliant piece of defending by midfield rock Marten de Roon. It was really the icing on top of an exhausting 10 minutes of play that made up for the minimal action in the first 80 minutes. This may have been the first time I thought “thank God we have VAR,” and I think all Atalantini are with me on this one. Just no more heart attacks going forward de Roon, please!
Ultimately it is great to see Atalanta win a grudge match. Cagliari can be quite stingy at home (even more stingy with fans), and they matched La Dea’s press and pressure quite well. But this time out Gasperini’s substitutes came through and their extra bit of class made all the difference. In fact, all of de Roon, Miranchuk, Maehle, and Muriel all improved the flow of the match for Atalanta in the second half – and eventually the Lesha Luis connection (LM connection!) made it count in the end.
On a side note, it is immense having Maehle back healthy. Just watching the difference between him and Sutalo in the match is night and day. No offense to Bosko, but he’s not a wingback. He doesn’t have the pace or offensive prowess to be effective in the attacking half (both in attack and defensive press), which is fine he’s a defender by trade! As a result, he leaves quite a glacial hole on the flank as he prefers (probably by design) to sit back and ensure he doesn’t get caught out of position on the counter. Maehle, in contrast, capably covers the flank as a Gasp wingback is supposed to and also provides the bombing runs forward to support the attack. The only headscratcher from the match is why he was not starting if he was indeed fit? Now let’s just get Hateboer back and healthy and we’ll really be humming.
With Atalanta’s first midweek off in what feels like an eternity, its a great chance to rally off 2 huge wins, recollect, and stick it again to a Napoli side that has the misfortune of playing a Europa League match on Thursday. With three clubs sitting at 40 points, picking up a victory next Saturday is huge against a team that is direct competition for one of the coveted Champion’s League positions. But for now, its important to rest and relax a bit, as well as reflect on a fantastic team win against one of the stingiest clubs to beat at home. Great win boys – let’s continue to get healthy and rested, and as always Forza La Dea!
