What an exhausting year! With over 50 matches on the calendar, Atalanta’s season has finally wrapped up with a lot to be proud of, as well as what could’ve been. By now everyone knows that Atalanta finished 3rd again for the 3rd consecutive year, led the league in goals. Yet what makes it more interesting, and perhaps encouraging, is La Dea’s ability to have done it a new look attack, a new Argentinian rock in defense, but also standing tall with some of the tenets of the club that make it breathe fire (looking at you midfield four). When the Papu drama hit in the latter part of 2020, I don’t think anyone would have been surprised if the club faltered and eventually looked destined for either the Europa or Conference League. But with again and again Gasperini’s squad continues to defy odds and demonstrate that talent can be found anywhere and no one is irreplaceable.
So here’s a look back on a wild season, one with far more positives than negatives – yet still building blocks to improve on that will only make La Dea more formidable next year! I went tandem on this one as well, so a big thanks to Dan over at Atalanta_Vegas on Twitter for his insights as well!
The Ugly
Atalanta Passione: I wanted to go with Freuler’s phantom red card, but how can the Papu departure not be the ugliest part of the season. Winning at an impressive clip after Papu’s departure definitely lessened the blow of his absence, but losing the club’s icon and seemingly Gasperini’s right hand man that brought Atalanta from relegation fodder to Scudetto contenders is a serious blow. We may never know what actually happened between the Gaffer and the Skipper, but it’s still an unfair way for a club legend to have to depart.
Atalanta Vegas: Agreed, nothing uglier than that breakup.
The Bad
AP: Defensive carelessness or apathy (whatever you want to call it) was the most frustrating aspect of the team’s defense to witness this year. While Atalanta were respectably only 5th in goals allowed, severe periods of absentmindedness prevented Atalanta from finishing 2nd and perhaps even just making Inter a little more on edge in the final weeks. Dropping two goal and three goal leads to Bologna and Torino respectively stand out. But even towards the end of the year, the Sassuolo, Parma, and Genoa matches saw Atalanta lose their minds when the matches seemed all but out of reach. I feel its easier to coast when your comfortable playing more compact – but Atalanta doesn’t do that – and as a result a small lack of focus can kill you. Fortunately this seems very fixable for next year.
Some transfer business was suspect as well, from the duds at wingback to watching others (mainly Kjaer and Ibanez) flourish in other environments. You can’t help think what could’ve been, especially on the backline and wingbacks where Atalanta has at times looked thin and devoid of ideas.
AV: The way we have played in the two biggest games that we have lost…Real Madrid second leg and the Coppa Italia final. We didn’t lose despite playing well…we lost because we didn’t look up for it.
The Good
AP: The emergence of new attackers in Papu absence and Ilicic’s descent carried the squad going forward. Mainly Malinovskyi, but Pessina deserves a huge shout out for his hard work up front, Maehle for quickly adapting to a complex system in Hateboer’s lengthy absence, and Muriel for pulling goals seemingly out of nowhere. Without his late finisher against Cagliari, for example, Atalanta is looking at Europa league instead of Napoli.
AV: Tactical flexibility that plays to our roster. Injuries may have forced Gasp into a 4-man back line, but 3 wins in a row using this setup in March & April, were key to securing the UCL. This will give Gasp the confidence to go forward with this next season and can be a surprise to opponents, as well as allow us to play more attacking midfielders.
The Great
AP and AV: The rock and the jackhammer. One impenetrable, the other a master stone carver. Or in simpler terms Cristian Romero and Ruslan Malinovskyi. Romero shored up an incredibly suspect defense, and while a bit raw still, he possesses everything Atalanta needs in an aggressive, man-marking centerback. On the flip-side Malinovskyi was on fire since March, and in nearly half the minutes of nearly all his competition, still led Serie A in assists. A player, who I thought, was nearly on the cusp of going to the transfer block has become the lifeblood of the attack and put Atalanta in a very easy position to say goodbye (unfortunately) to King Josip. It’s also worth noting that Atalanta still scored 90 goals in the League this year, and didn’t need any 7 or 6 goal matches to do it. The swagger is still there, it just looks a little different with the Ukrainian at the helm now.
Signing of the Season
AP and AV: Cristian Romero, no doubt – this one doesn’t even need explanation with the work he did to solidify the backline.
Most Improved Player
AP: This one was a bit tougher as I don’t want to use a certain Ukrainian, but his fellow lefty attacker is still a good shout. Matteo Pessina got his first serious minutes with La Dea this season, and slotted in very nicely up front – albeit in a very different way than Papu. He’s yeoman like when in defense, and he’s smooth on the ball – a nice combination for a player who is not asked to dictate tempo. I think if he can improve his strength a bit next year (which is likely as he gets older and more mature) he can fend off defenders even better and become more imposing up front.
AV: Jose Luis Palomino. I can’t really remember his howlers if he had any…unlike in the past. If there were, it was early in the season. So solid for us off the bench, starting in the middle when Cuti was out, and he formed the amazing PaloMero partnership with Cuti in the 4 man back line. Like a fine Argentinian Malbec…getting better with age.
Moment of the Year
AP and AV: Victory at the Gewiss over Juventus. Ruslan Malinovskyi’s deflected rocket all but guaranteed Atalanta Champion’s League football in 2021 and gave La Dea its first win over the Old Lady in some 20 odd years. That’s a great monkey to get off one’s back. Close second goes to a victory and cleansheet at Anfield, stymying Liverpool into not finding a shot on target once in the match.
MVP
AP and AV: Ruslan Malinovskyi – while he hardly played in the first half of the season, his second half play was so instrumental to Atalanta’s success I couldn’t give it to anyone else. From his assists, to his goals, even to his much more assertive presence on the pitch (much less rolling on the ground nursing tiny knocks) he took the club under his wing and carried it into the Top-3. Without Papu and a mercurial Ilicic, I don’t know where Atalanta ends up without Malinovskyi. So in the spirit of threes, let’s give three cheers to my Atalanta MVP, who carried Atalanta to a 3rd consecutive 3rd place finish, and a 3rd consecutive berth in the Champions league (while earning pot 3).
Again, a big shout out to Dan for his takes! With Euros and Coppa America coming up, it will be fun to watch some football from a neutral point of view for the first time in several years. Atalanta will be well represented in Europe and South America, and I hope the players all the best with their squads and of course good health! We’ve got a lot to build on with relative stability, while the rest of Serie A is flailing around like they’re selling stocks on Wall Street in the late 20s. It has been a great season covering La Dea with all of you, and here’s to many more to come! As always, Forza Dea!!!
