It’s never been easy for Atalanta this year, but the guys continue to do just enough to earn points and leave the tifosi walking away satisfied. The test wasn’t easy for Atalanta against Cagliari. The last placed side in Serie A were not afraid to put nine or ten men inside its own box and defend, but simultaneously flew up the pitch at a minute’s notice to execute formidable counterattacks.
Nonetheless Atalanta’s offense and defense was strong enough to put on a convincing enough display. Zapata and Pasalic again were excellent in offense, and Pasalic’s presence inside the box is often the missing ingredient Atalanta needs to break down a low block. Similarly at the back, Jose Luis Palomino continues to be a mistake free wall – and Teun Koopmeiners looks to be more than just a rotation option. Atalanta still cannot get over the error bug, which put everyone in a few spots of bother against Cagliari. Against a more ruthless opponent it may have spelled heartbreak, but let’s be glad for now that La Dea have the opportunity to get some much needed mental rest.
Atalanta Passione’s Match Ratings
Juan Musso- 6.5: Barely had anything to do. The only shot on target against him was deflected by Demiral, so who knows if Musso would have been able to make that save.
Marten De Roon- 6.5: Took an odd angle on Joao Pedro’s goal, but continues to put exhausting effort in on the press.
Merih Demiral- 6: His errant pass led to Pedro’s goal, but he was steady beyond this one stretch of 15 seconds.
Jose Luis Palomino- 7.5: A rock at the back again, winning all of his six ground duels. It’s hard to imagine where Atalanta would be if he was shipped off to Cagliari…
Davide Zappacosta- 7: Zapp put in great work inside the box, and the most prolific crosser in the league is finally coming through on his deliveries.
Joakim Maehle- 6.5: Consistent performance from the Dane, once again. The splash pays aren’t there, but he’s shored up his errors.
Teun Koopmeiners- 7.5: Wonderful work again both offensively and defensively, and was rewarded with his first goal contribution on the season with a great assist to set up Duvan.
Remo Freuler- 6.5: Very good custodial work, and looks to be getting rewarded with a contract extension.
Ruslan Malinovskyi- 6.5: His creativity didn’t pay off, but at least he was making an effort to get the offense chugging – it just didn’t come off for him.
Mario Pasalic- 7: His positioning pays off wonderfully again, and he was also hard done on a reversed penalty decision that he won with quick wit.
Duvan Zapata- 7.5: The Colombian gave Diego Godin fits all match, and beyond his goal his hold-up and channel work was excellent.
Josip Ilicic- 7: The professor put on a clinical isolation display to see out the match, and came within inches of a vintage Ilicic-goal.
Matteo Lovato- 6: Lovato’s clumsiness almost dropped Atalanta points. Sometimes he is quite the heart attack at the back.
Giuseppe Pezzella- s/v: Not enough time for the young Neopolitan to make a difference.
Matteo Pessina- s/v: Great to see Pessina back, and a huge shoutout to his socks – which are very reminiscent of an old school St. Louis Cardinals or Atalanta Braves stirrup.
Atalanta Passione Man of the Match- Teun Koopmeiners
This was a difficult one, as Jose Luis Palomino and Duvan Zapata also did enough to deserve the honor. But Koopmeiners was absolutely lethal on the right hand side of the attack. The Dutchman completed 90% of his passes, including brilliantly placed crosses and longballs, with none more important than his deft touch into Zapata. Koopmeiners continues to raise the question on who the starting midfield duo should be. As he continues to grow into each match, it is sooner rather than later that Koopmeiners displaces one of de Roon or Freuler as a top choice. Quite the remarkable feat considering the history that the duo has in the Atalanta midfield!
Other Match Odds and Ends
There is no other team in Serie A that can be so absentminded defensively in the first minute of a half. Raoul Bellanova missed a golden opportunity to put Cagliari back in the match twenty seconds into the start the of the second half. The question is, how does Atalanta continually put itself under such horrible constraints? Dunno if there’s an obvious answer to this one, but it would help to win headers against the smallest man on the pitch!
Duvan Zapata now leads Serie A in non penalty expected goals with 5.2 goals. His 5 non penalty goals go along with the advanced statistic demonstrates just how good he has been for the club.
Mario Pasalic at times may make some questionable decisions, but there isn’t anyone on the club who puts in a more perfectly weighted pass than the Croat. All of his passes, especially into space, are usually exquisitely placed with the perfect amount of spin to be capably received by his teammates. Some sort of stat measuring pass quality (spin, speed, direction, etc.) would be extremely valuable, and I’d reckon a guess that Pasalic would be higher up on the list than most would expect.
After twelve matches days and a very difficult stretch in October and early November, Atalanta somehow finds itself in the top 4. Given how the season has rolled out; no one, including me, would have expected such a place in the standings. Injuries, fixture congestion, and sometimes lackluster play have all been difficult obstacles – but Gian Piero Gasperini has done so well to get over such a difficult stretch. The depth brought in this season has been huge – with Zappacosta and Koopmeiners being key instruments in the victory over Cagliari, and it cannot be stressed enough how vital Palomino has been with his stellar and injury free play. His cult status continues to grow congruently with Atalanta’s push back into the conversation for Champion’s League spots. A break is definitely needed and deserved, so let’s enjoy the break and come back strong for the winter schedule! As always, Forza Dea!!
