Three central defenders out, Palomino subbed off at halftime, that should spell danger right? Au contraire! By some minor miracle, Atalanta’s middle school art class concoction of a defensive line consisting of Marten de Roon, Matteo Lovato, and Giorgio Scalvini held strong – preventing Sampdoria from putting Juan Musso in any sort of real danger. Even though the final score of 3-1 would suggest a comfortable victory for Atalanta, it was anything but that. The second half especially was a wide open affair that required resolute defending from said trio above. Alongside an industrious effort from the midfield, Atalanta ensured it was solidified at the back – using that as a springboard to a healthy attacking that saw the club put up the second most goals of the season.
After going down early on a Palomino defensive error, the club didn’t panic and did real well to work two goals in a spurt of five minutes that set up the tempo for the remainder of the match. An early lead meant no sitting back from Sampdoria, and forced the opposition to be braver in attack, which mostly consisted of long balls and trying to beat the offside trap. As a result, it permitted Atalanta to work the ball upfield nicely. While the finishing product wasn’t always there, the open space at least gave Atalanta the opportunity to work hunker down in Sampdoria’s half – a far different scenario than what went down in the final minutes of the Udinese match. See what happens when you don’t get too passive!?
Atalanta Match Ratings
Juan Musso- 6.5: Made a nice save on Caputo, but overall he made the plays he should have, and wasn’t able to make any acrobatics on a tough 1 vs. 1 chance.
Marten de Roon- 7: A very robust performance, especially in the 2nd half as the ELDER statesman of the backline.
Jose Luis Palomino- 6: Worst game of the year for Numero Seis. Set up Caputo’s first goal, and a second mistake nearly unlocked the aforementioned up for a second goal.
Matteo Lovato- 7: A strong bounce back game for the youngster, as he looks stronger in each match he plays in.
Davide Zappacosta- 7: Poor awareness kept Caputo onside for Sampdoria’s goal, but his crosses have been sublime recently.
Joakim Maehle- 6.5: Since the international break he’s been a consistent metronome in offense. While nothing he’s done has struck for a goal contribution, he’s at least looking comfortable on the left side.
Teun Koopmeiners- 7: He was excellent in possession, and monstrous in winning balls back. Just waiting for him to unleash a few more long balls.
Remo Freuler- 7: A very similar game to his partner in the middle. One of the best double pivot performances seen this year.
Ruslan Malinovskyi- 6.5: He had some juicy runs, but his final pass is still lacking a bit.
Mario Pasalic- 6.5: He didn’t have a lot to do, but still did well playing further out wide than he normally does.
Duvan Zapata- 7: He may have been robbed from a brace, but nonetheless did well muscling Sampdoria’s defenders in the box. Had a few chances he could have done better with.
Giorgio Scalvini- 7: A great second match for the 17 year old! He had one bruising header that started an attack, but was unfortunately not rewarded when he continued his run.
Josip Ilicic- 7.5: A brilliant goal, and he was also immense in keeping the tide turned towards La Dea in the second half.
Giuseppe Pezzella- 6.5: Didn’t have a whole lot to do, but saw the game out well.
Aleksey Miranchuk- 6.5: He looked a lot braver this go around, and was able to make a few things happen offensively.
Roberto Piccoli- s/v: Not enough time for the young Bergamo boy to do anything.
Atalanta Passione’s Man of the Match- Josip Ilicic
Ilicic may have only played for thirty minutes, but his impact on the match was undeniable. He scored Atalanta’s best goal of the year so far, with the flair of a magician. But his ability to dictate the tempo and see out the game was instrumental. Sometimes he’s brilliant at this, and other matches he fails to get a good touch on the ball in the 2nd half. Strategically minimizing his match minutes may help to continue getting the best possible Ilicic, but what an awesome weapon to bring off the bench once a defense is tired of butt clenching on when Malinovskyi is going to unleash a wicked shot. Now if only Muriel can get on form…
Other Sampdoria Atalanta Match Odds and Ends
Let’s get a petition going to get Duvan Zapata his brace! Atalanta’s first goal was considered an own goal, but Zapata definitely got a touch on it before it hit the Sampdoria defender’s chest. Regardless he’s at 5 goals on the year, and is in some of his best scoring form since 2019.
Someone needs to find out what’s going on with Luis Muriel. There were images during the match of him wrapping his hand up, like he was nursing a fracture. However, at the end of the match the bandage was no longer on his hand. Was he just killing time on the bench? Not one to throw out fake stories, but let’s at least get this guy a goal, so we can see some heart out of him!
Davide Zappacosta has now started every match for Atalanta since his first start on matchday 3. While his performance has been consistently excellent, he needs a rest, the problem being, is it worth risking a lineup with Pezzella and Maehle starting? Fortunately, Mancini doesn’t call him up for the Italian National Squad, so he can get all the rest he wants in a few weeks.
With Juventus and Fiorentina losing midweek, Atalanta now sit solely in 5th place on 18 points, one point behind Roma. After the uninspiring start to the year, plus the onslaught of injuries effecting the team now – it is very hard to not be satisfied with the first 10 matches of the year. Yes there are always would’ve, could’ve, should’ve’s – but overall the whole team has fought tooth and nail to earn its 5th place ranking – and everyone on the team has contributed. The squad’s depth has not only been tested, but is coming through, making matches like Wednesday’s against Sampdoria less of a toss-up. Getting healthy is key, but it is also encouraging to know that the whole squad is capable of performing admirably in difficult circumstances. A great three points today, and let’s go get Lazio! As always, Forza Dea!!!
