Apparently Atalanta is can only be afforded one piece of good news per weekend – and ultimately, I guess I’ll take the long payoff with La Dea’s fantastic imminent midfield signing rather than earning three points against Bologna. Nonetheless, it still stings Atalanta wasn’t able to take more from a match in which it, as expected, controlled for a majority of the 90 minutes. Twenty two shots sounds great, but when only three are on target, it just screams nil-nil draw – which is exactly what happened.
Fair play to Bologna, however. The Rossoblu set up a compact and stingy defense that saw Di Silvestri and Medel effectively take Atalanta’s offensive weapons out of the match. And ultimately the offense is what will leave La Dea fans yearning. The defense was stout, Remo Freuler was everywhere in the midfield, and even Pasalic only made one, albeit serious, mistake.
However, up front was a completely different story. All three of Ilicic, Malinovskyi, and Muriel seemed to hold onto the ball far too long, essentially neutralizing their own attacks and giving Bologna far to much time to establish it’s low block. The two lefties stood out in this regard. Both did take their chances and were both only inches away from goals, but both also failed to trouble Skorupski on some juicy opportunities presented. Perhaps it can be attested to early season rust; nonetheless, the offense won’t click until either one of the two starts to find some form.
Similar to last match, Ilicic was entrenched on his right-hand side forcing Malinovskyi into the middle of the pitch. But I’m still convinced that Malinovskyi and Ilicic cannot effectively co-exist on the pitch, and I’m still waiting for the offense to pop when Malinovskyi is paired with either one of Pessina or Pasalic in the front. Granted Ilicic was quite good in some of his build up, especially his switching of play to the opposite flank, but he sits on the ball for far too long. There’s just no definitiveness. Malinovskyi is susceptible to this sometimes too, but he at least shows willingness to go for the heart of a defense every now and then. I don’t think I’ll be convinced on the offensive potential of the club until Pessina and Malinovskyi are paired in the attacking midfield, directly behind Muriel or when Zapata comes back.
Atalanta Passione’s MOTM: Remo Freuler
Have I talked everyone’s ears off yet regarding the importance of Remo Freuler to the midfield??? Today’s performance embodies why Freuler is so important to Atalanta. He completely bossed the midfield, won so many 50/50 balls, and was the missing piece of tempo that Atalanta lacked last week against Torino. Heck he even made Pasalic look good too! Not to mention the higher level of comfort that was exuded from both Maehle and Gosens on the wings, who looked much more comfortable flying forward and contributing in the attack. A statement game to the importance of Freuler in the midfield, and it seriously has me questioning where Atalanta puts Koopmeiners once de Roon is available.
Other Atalanta and Bologna Odds and Ends
-It’s hard to believe that Toloi-Palomino-Djimsiti was Atalanta’s best defensive alignment two years ago, and still me the best alignment now. Palomino’s emergence has been remarkable so far this year
-Atalanta misses Duvan, he would’ve been able to muscle around the 5’7″ Gary Medel, regardless of how tough the Chilean thinks he is
-I think Miranchuk deserves a start, its just so tough to see what he can offer when he has little to no time to acclimate to the match and leave his mark on the action
-Davide Zappacosta is the fastest guy on the team, and if his defense isn’t shaky, I wouldn’t mind starting Uncle Meat’s favorite nephew on the right hand side
Final Thoughts
Everyone always talks about Atalanta’s slow starts, and while it may be true it’s still not an excuse for dropping points early in the year. Bologna is a solid team, who played well, but it still stings Atalanta wasn’t able to come away with six points before the international break. Perhaps now that the transfer market will be closed once the international break ends, Gasperini and company will feel much more cohesive as a unit, and put its best foot forward. A dangerous Fiorentina team awaits La Dea in a few weeks, and accumulating as many points before the Champion’s League begins is paramount to La Dea’s success in the Scudetto race. Draws happen, so no shame there, but let’s just hope that there’s no hangover post international break and everyone comes back healthy and rearing to go! As always, Forza Dea!
