Date: September 18, 2021
Time: 18:45 CET
After what turned out to be quite a challenging opening four match stretch to the start of Atalanta’s campaign, hopefully a slight reprieve comes in the form of Salernitana on Saturday. Recently promoted to Serie A, the other Granata in the league have struggled to find the mark after promotion. Having already allowed 11 goals in 3 matches, a shaky Salernitana defense could just be what the doctor ordered to get Atalanta firing on all cylinders.
There are a lot of unknowns about Salernitana – given the club’s long absence in the top of the league – but one thing for certain is Atalanta will probably see some sort of low block, with Salernitana looking to hit on the counter. Its doubtful that Salernitana have the horses to cope in the midfield against Freuler, Koopmeiners, thus they’ll undoubtedly have to rely on some cavernous spaces left open by an expected all-out Atalanta attack. This will probably also be a good opportunity to get some new signings a taste of being in the starting XI – don’t be surprised to see the likes of Koopmeiners, Lovato, Demiral, and even Pezzella getting the nod – especially with a brutal stretch of matches coming up, including a midweek fixture against Sassuolo.
Salernitana Player to Watch – Matteo Ruggeri
Who else would be featured but the youngster who Atalanta desperately needs to get game time? Ruggeri played sparingly for Atalanta last year, and still only 19 years old – he has plenty of growing up still to do. He wasn’t, and shouldn’t, going to be doing it at Atalanta – so seeing him get meaningful Serie A minutes is positive, regardless of the team h develops at. Ruggeri has already started three times for Salernitana this year on the left wing, and should get the nod again. Pace, or lack thereof, is his downfall at times, but he is useful on the left wing and is capable of putting in a good cross. In fact, he is tied for 4th in the league for crosses, so he’s definitely not afraid to whip a ball into the box to see what happens. Atalanta needs to be on their toes if Ruggeri can get into a few dangerous positions with both Ribery and Simy hovering around the box.
Expected Starting XI
With Sassuolo, Inter, and Milan coming up over the next few weeks in the league, Saturday is one of the only realistic changes to begin slotting rotation guys into the mix. Merih Demiral seems the most likely of the defensive rotation to get a start, and its doubtful that Gasperini would want to slot two new signings into the backline. Expect two of Palomino, Djimsiti, and Toloi to still start.
In the midfield, is it finally time everyone gets to see Teun Koopmeiners feature from minute zero? The Dutchman has already played in his first two matches for Atalanta – albeit for less than 30 combined minutes – but he has looked impressive and comfortable enough in the double pivot to deserve a start. If Koopmeiners is to ever become an answer for Gasperini in the pivot, getting his feet wet against Salernitana is the perfect place to do it. In fact, with the strecth of matches coming up there’s no better opportunity than Saturday to acclimate Koopmeiners.
In attack, Atalanta may already be seeing the ill effects of having two striker options. Even against an opponent like Salernitana, Roberto Piccoli has not proven that he is ready to start for Atalanta (even against Salernitana) – forcing La Dea to rely heavily on Duvan Zapata. It may get to a point where Duvan gets gassed being the only reliable center forward option, but with Muriel hurt and Sam Lammers over in Germany… you gotta live with the decisions you made. Against Villarreal, Gasperini showed that he wasn’t shy to go to a strikerless setup in the second half. And this may have to be the recipe at some point, just to give Duvan his necessary rest. Otherwise, the big Colombian could get worn down before the next international break.
All in all, Saturday is a contest that Atalanta should have little trouble controlling. Franck Ribery and Simy are good attacking and creative outlets, but the shear drop in quality after I Granati’s top two players is not encouraging for the home side.
Having dropped four of its last six points, Atalanta need all three points in this match against a squad likely to be fighting for relegation. The offense is close to finding its groove, and the hunger for three points combined with playing a fragile defensive setup should hopefully be a perfect combination for the club to find its offensive boots. Three goals in three Serie A matches certainly doesn’t inspire offensive confidence, so Atalanta should be doing its upmost to score early and try to do it often. As always, Forza Dea!!!
