Date: September 21, 2021
Time: 20:45 CET
The glut of matches continues to ramp up as Serie A sees its first midweek action of the young season. Unfortunately for Atalanta, Tuesday’s match home against Sassuolo kicks off a string that sees La Dea facing the aforementioned Neroverdi, Inter, Young Boys, and AC Milan – all in succession. Fortunately, Sassuolo has had an equally uneven start to the season as Bergamo’s own has had.
A normally high flying Sassuolo offense has only been able to muster four points so far on the season, putting away just four goals in the process. Granted Atalanta’s attack has not been a whole lot better, so Tuesday matchup could be a battle of which exciting, yet struggling, offense can finally break out of the doldrums.
Sassuolo has had its share of turnover since last May. Former coach Roberto de Zerbi brought his talents to Donetsk, and the young string puller at the back of the midfielder – Manuel Locatelli – was shipped off to Juventus for a generous sum. There were rumors swirling all summer that both Jeremie Boga and Domenico Berardi may be on the move, but ultimately both stayed on with the Neroverdi. Perhaps to their slight disgruntlement? Neither offensive stalwart has scored yet this season, forcing new coach Alessio Dionisi to rely quite heavily on his young striker pairing of Giacamo Raspadori and Gianluca Scamacca. The young tandem also hasn’t got off to a promising start, but their talent is undeniable and will still cause problems for Atalanta’s backline.
Player to Watch- Filip Duricic
The Serbian number 10 has been Sassuolo’s best playmaker this year, and quietly has been one of the club’s most formidable attacking threats since arriving in Sassuolo four years ago. Often forgot about in a sea of more high profile attacking names, Duricic cannot be overlooked, and in terms of consistency it is arguable that he is Dionisi’s best option to drive the ball forward in attack. This year Duricic has been involved in 75% of Sassuolo’s goals – doesn’t mean a whole lot when they’ve only mustered four goals – but nonetheless the Neroverdi offense has gone as far as Duricic has taken it.
A confident driver up the middle of the pitch, Duricic can spell problems for the center of Atalanta’s defense – as the pivot looks to cope with both the Serbian and whoever is in front of him in attack (either Raspadori or Scamacca). On top of that a flying Boga, Berardi, or Traore coming through on one of the wings can give Duricic a plethora of options to dish off a pass. Needless to say, Sassuolo can score in buckets with Duricic leading the charge – de Roon and Freuler will need to come up big to destroy any serious attacks before they can begin.
Atalanta Projected Starting XI
Marten de Roon is back, Marten de Roon is back, Marten de Roon is back!!! Yes there is now balance in the world with Atalanta dynamic midfield pairing back together in the middle of the pitch. For as good as Koopmeiners is and can become, there’s still nothing that compares to Atalanta’s siamese twins when it comes to breathing life into the team. Hints of their importance were evident in the Champion’s League against Villarreal, but it was apparent that de Roon was a bit shaky and needed some game action to reach his full quality. With game minutes now in de Roon’s legs let’s hope the double pivot can become the engine of old, and cause the havoc everyone has grown accustomed to.
In addition to Atalanta’s double pivot, the entire midfield four seems to be set in stone. Davide Zappacosta’s excellent start, confirmed in Gasperini’s faith to play him as an attacking midfielder, and his quick assimilation has placed him ahead in the pecking order of the struggling Joakim Maehle – who most likely has become the short-term super-sub capable of spelling either starter. Elsewhere across the pitch, there shouldn’t be too many surprises. Matteo Pessina should start to help contain Sassuolo’s excellent passing out of the back. Additionally, Josip Ilicic deserves a start after his match-winning performance against Salernitana, and may be finding a hint of form after a rough start to the year. Of course out of necessity, Big Duvan is Atalanta’s only outlet up front. Three points are essential against Sassuolo, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Duvan is asked to go full tilt and then given a rest against a much more dangerous opponent in Inter.
Other Atalanta Tidbits
-Duvan Zapata is currently sitting on 98 career goals in Serie A. He has scored a brace in each of the last two seasons against Sassuolo, so it wouldn’t be the worst shout in the world to see him hit triple digits Serie A goals this week.
-Jose Luis Palomino already leads Serie A in total recoveries with 61. 18 more than 2nd place Nicolas Dominguez of Bologna.
-Palomino also leads the league in aerial duels won with 27, and holds an astounding 82% duels won rate (1st in the league among players with 15 attempts).
-While Atalanta has struggled to find the net, La Dea are tied for first with Milan in non penalty expected goals conceded this season. A huge testament to Palomino and company’s dynamite play at the back so far.
With Inter looming large on Saturday, and also looking like an offensive juggernaut, earning maximum points on Tuesday should be Gasperini and company’s goal for the week. Expect a lineup stacked with the starters and then figure it out later in the week. History has been good to Atalanta in recent matches against Sassuolo, and Atalanta will need to ensure that the pressure is on point to continue with the historical narrative. Even without Manuel Locatelli, Sassuolo is a dangerous team that can work a goal out of nowhere. Everyone from Gian Marco Ferrari in defense to Maxime Lopez in the midfield, all the way to Duricic up front is capable of putting in a tidy killer ball to unleash the Neroverdi’s plethora of attacking options.
Fortunately, Atalanta’s variety of attacking options can go toe to toe with Sassuolo, and La Dea will look to unleash some of the squad who has been desperately seeking a goal. Gosens, Ilicic, and perhaps Malinovskyi off the bench should all be licking their chops to get on the scorer’s sheet in hopes of getting Atalanta mutiple goals for the first time this season since the Torino miracle. They can do it, its just time to execute! As always, Forza Dea!!
