Date: September 11, 2021
Time: 18:45 CET
After an international break that felt like it took a month, Atalanta looks to hit the ground running after a very weird start to the Serie A season. An international break after only two matches, immediately followed by a Champion’s League match midweek is not the definition of an even schedule – thus kicking Atalanta into overdrive mode right from the get-go.
To make matters slightly worse, Atalanta is thrown back into the fold against an up and start Fiorentina squad. New manager Vincenzo Italiano looks to have La Viola playing good football in the early going, a matchday 1 loss to Roma notwithstanding, which includes a 2-1 victory over the same Torino side that gave La Dea fits in the first match of the year. Atalanta has handled Fiorentina well over the last several seasons, and could have gone on to two blow-outs last year if it had not been Dragowski’d for what seems like the umpteenth time. Atalanta seem to have the uncanny ability to open Fiorentina like a sieve, and it may be even easier this time around against an Italiano squad that will look to do anything but sit back and defend. Igor and Milenkovic can be got, but it will all depend on if both of Ilicic and Malinovskyi finally decide to kick it into gear, which they have not been able to do so far this year.
Player to Watch- Dusan Vlahovic
Was it ever going to be anyone else? The young Serbian put on a stormer of a second half last season, and was one of the most coveted names on the transfer market this summer. In a rare case that Serie A got to keep one of its better players, Vlahovic has so far shown that last season was not a fluke and is continuing to demonstrate why he is one of the top strikers in Serie A. He torched Atalanta for two goals in the squad’s second meeting last year, and really has a knack for creating space for himself inside the attacking third.
One area that Vlahovic still needs to work on is his link up play. He does not have the most graceful of touches, and had one of the lower reception percentages among center forwards in the league last year. Atalanta, specifically Palomino, should look to smother him early and prevent him from building up the attack. If the backline can effectively neutralize Vlahovic’s contribution before he and Fiorentina can even make its way into Atalanta’s defensive third – it could be the most effective strategy to prevent the Serbian from shifting around in the box to get himself open. This is easier said than done however, and will take a full team effort to set up an effective press that doesn’t allow Castrovilli, Pulgar, or Amrabat to work the ball forward to spur on attacking movements.
Expected Starting XI
The international break truly through a wrinkle into Atalanta’s plans. Robin Gosens injured his foot while on duty, and is in doubt to feature on Saturday. Additionally Argentina wrapped up its qualifiers late on Thursday, so Juan Musso will most likely not be available, and probably too jetlagged to be effective if he can get back to Bergamo before Saturday. Even Roberto Piccoli’s status is questionable after suffering an ankle injury for the U21 Italian squad – which is now an amplified injury with Muriel out for an indeterminable amount of time and Duvan just getting over a knee injury.
That last paragraph felt pretty bleak, but there are some positives to address. First the backline: Djimsiti, Palomino, and Toloi looked rock solid against Bologna and is a sturdy group to help ride the ship while the attack looks to sort itself out from the injury bug. Second, Freuler is here, and everything just feels calmer when he’s around. Calm to the point that it wouldn’t even be crazy to see Teun Koopmeiners feature with the squad after only being in Bergamo since Thursday.
Speaking of Koopmeiners, the young Dutchman probably won’t start this weekend, but no one should be surprised if Gasperini inserts him into the lineup to spur on an awesome that is in need of an injection. While he may not be familiar with the club yet, he by far has the most match time in the squad after playing half a dozen matches or so with AZ before his transfer over to Italy.
Zapata Comes To The Resue
Yesterday I released an article on the importance of Roberto Piccoli over the coming weeks. With news coming that Zapata is most likely to feature and start, that article feels a bit too alarmist now. Not that Piccoli won’t be important, he’ll still need to play, the situation just isn’t as dire now. With Duvan back, hopefully he can bring some semblance of normalcy back to the offense who has struggled so far with matching the aggression of the backlines the club has faced. Muriel is great, and a fantastic change of pace option, but few players in Serie A possess the full arsenal of speed, aggression, finishing, and technique that Duvan has. Plus he loves scoring against Fiorentina!
Only two matches into the season, and it already feels like do or die time. The Champion’s League starting up next week doesn’t help matters, but Atalanta has little to no time to grow into midseason form – it’s essentially already midseason! Fiorentina have recently been the poster child in Serie A for being “less than the sum of its parts,” but bringing in a legitimate manager in Italiano might unleash the potential of an incredibly talented squad. Saturday will be a good benchmark for both clubs. With a striker that scores against everyone and a keeper that stops every shot Atalanta throws his way – regardless of the team he plays for – Atalanta will undoubtedly have its hands full with La Viola, and need to get the offense clicking to come up with the goods. Regardless, and as always, Forza Dea!!!
Thanks for your posts! Happy to see this blog on my fave Serie A team.
Cheers! Thanks Richard!