Gasperini’s men were able to grind it out and do just enough to squeeze out an away victory against a gritty defense performance from Fiorentina. Remarkably this is the first win for La Dea away from home against La Viola in 27 years, making the victory all the much sweeter against a side that has given Atalanta fits this year. Climbing back from a 1-0 half time deficit, a timely tap-in from Zapata and a strike from outside the box by Malinovskyi were enough to finally break a Fiorentina defensive line that always seemed to have at least eight men behind the ball.
It’s refreshing to see Atalanta squeeze out such victories where mental fortitude can be the deciding factor in the game. Atalanta were in a similar position last week against Genoa, and couldn’t pull through to get the decisve go ahead goal. However, it was completely different this week. A first half banger from Federico Chiesa (with all the respect to Gollini, should have been stopped), didn’t dampen Atalanta’s spirits. A very quick Zapata goal in the 2nd half helped to turn the tides immediately in their favor for the remaining 40 minutes, and set the tone for Atalanta to dominate possession and cleanly fend off the hoofball counter attacking style that Fiorentina unpleasantly tried to implement.
Going forward it will be increasingly likely that Atalanta will continue to lineup against formations similar to what Fiorentina showed on Saturday. They clogged the box barely giving Zapata and Ilicic room to operate; however, it shows the respect the rest of Serie A has for Atalanta’s fearsome attack. As they continue to cement themselves as one of the better teams in the league, looking for ways to find goals from others besides just the principle play-makers will be critical. And Saturday, it was Ruslan Malinovskyi who came up huge. With so much attention being paid to Zapata, Gomez, and Ilicic, Malinovskyi was given the space he needed to cleanly dribble up and bang home a strike that proved to be the difference. Not only will it be a confidence boost to him, but it will be to the whole team that goals can continue to come from unlikely places.
Now 3 points clear of Roma before their huge clash next Saturday afternoon, Atalanta can continue to dictate the tone for the race for 4th. They need to capitalize on this weekend’s momentum and the recent and mighty struggles of Il Giaollorossi, who have now taken only 1 point out of 9 in their last 3 Serie A encounters. As the season begins to wind-down mental stamina becomes just as important as physical stamina. Playing on two fronts, Atalanta must remember to think one game at a time (especially when the game after Roma is their Champion’s League clash), and focus only on what is in their hands. They current hold the keys over Roma, Verona, and everyone else clogged in the middle of the table. If Gasperini, can successfully keep them focused for the last few months of the season, I’m confident good things will continue to come their way. I feel it all started with the resolute bounce back this weekend, and I can’t wait to see what they have in store the rest of the campaign. As always, Forza Atalanta!
