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Three strikes from the spot was all the scoring on tap for Saturday – 1 from Duvan – but unfortunately 2 from Dusan put Atalanta in the loss column for the first time this season. Four points from nine is not a sterling way to start the season, but La Dea have no one to blame except from themselves for the position the club is in. Egregious errors from Joakim Maehle and Berat Djimsiti tore down an otherwise solid performance, but the positives will be engulfed by these game deciding actions by the left side of the defense.
Maehle looked all out of sorts on the left hand side, and his telegraphed pass put Djimsiti in the dangerous position of guarding Bonaventura one on one in the box. No need to repeat how that one turned out. With the strong and steady performance from Davide Zappacosta, Maehle may have dropped himself in the pecking order. The hope in everyone’s mind was that “Denmark” Maehle would finally show up playing on the left, instead Atalanta got a larger dose of Mojica instead of one of the Euros star performers.
The Uneven Offense
Besides the play from the left side of the defense, the rest of the backline was solid. With the defense shored up, its surprisingly the offense that needs to find its rhythm. Fortunately today, some questions were answered on what Gasperini needs to do. First, Ilicic and Malinovskyi cannot and should not be on the pitch at the same time. When Malinovskyi came on in the second half, he was dynamite. He set up a delicious ball on a silver platter for Duvan (frankly, a pen COULD have been called on Odriozola for pulling on the Colombian on the shot), had some great corners, and completed five key passes in forty total minutes of game time.
If anyone was unsure whether who deserves the starting nod as the attacking outlet, Malinovskyi put that answer to rest for the short-term. Oppositely, Ilicic look slow, greedy, and rusty in his brief minutes on the pitch. It is unexplainable why the offense is magnetized to him when he’s on the pitch – neutralizing the most creative player on the pitch (Malinovskyi). Its tough to see how Ilicic fits in besides as an emergency substitute. Its sad, but unfortunately the reality of the situation – he’s not getting any younger.
A little further up front, it is great to see Duvan back in action. Mentioned above, the chance he had that was snuffed out by Terracciano saw him impeded a bit by Odriozola, but he’s so lively all over the pitch. Every time he turns on a dime right on the goal line surprises everyone, defenses and fans included, and he’s an utter nuisance to a backline. It was positive to see him playing at full speed after his injury, and he’ll have to transform into beast mode to cover the goals that Atalanta will miss from Luis Muriel.
A shout also needs to go out to Teun Koopmeiners for his stellar ten minutes of action. It only took him seven passes to nearly set up two goals, with one coming from an astounding long ball that both Ilicic and Zappacosta somehow managed to not even hit the target. His play can be such a gamechanger, it may even warrant a change to a back four just to get him, de Roon, and Freuler in the match – but this merits its on article!
Man of the Match – Jose Luis Palomino
Numero “seis” was immense against Fiorentina again. If someone only saw the final scoreline he’d see two goals from Vlahovic and think he had a stellar all-around match. It was anything but that. Vlahovic got his touches and he had some good moves inside the box, but ultimately Palomino was effectively able to contain the young Serbian. No one at the start of the season would have picked Palomino to be the anchor of the back three, but he continues to come up big match after match. So far he has shored up his mistakes, which had always been his most negative attribute. If he continues his outstanding play, it will continue to make the Cristian Romero deal even sweeter – and perhaps make the Merih Demiral loan a one and done situation.
Not Time For Gasperini To Panic Yet
Champion’s League starts this week, so the matches for La Dea will starting coming fast and furious. Garnering only four points to start the season is not ideal – especially with many of the Seven Sisters not dropping points. But even with Atalanta’s unsteady start, a lot of questions are starting to answered and the squad is looking more coherent. Even with the loss against Fiorentina, Atalanta didn’t look bad (in fact Atalanta comfortably had a better xGoals in the match) and may be ready to break out of its shell. Trying to sort out growing pains amid the Champion’s League is not ideal, but there were encouraging signs today that can bring some positivity even in the face of a loss.
No time to rest for Atalanta, who now get Villarreal midweek and hopefully can steer the ship in the right direction. No one is getting the hot start they hoped for, but its important to remember three matches doesn’t define a season – and the club has plenty of time to find its groove. I have a feeling they’re close! Forza Dea!!!
