How about this for a stat. Before this weekend, Atalanta had either been tied (not 0-0) or losing in every match since Sassuolo in the 5th match of the year. In the past two matches Atalanta has now seen out victories from start to finish. Saturday was tough; but on Tuesday against Venezia, Atalanta was in the driver’s seat for the whole match. A convincing 4-0 victory on the back of a Mario Pasalic hat-trick earns Atalanta twelve points out of twelve in November and a firm grasp on a top 4 position in the Serie A table.
Right from the get go Atalanta took the match to Venezia, and more importantly did not let off the gas until it was fully out of reach in the second half. The entire team played as a well oiled unit, and individually everyone played their part to near perfection. Venezia should not have been much of a challenge to La Dea, but more importantly Atalanta ensured it did not play down to its competition. With 4th place guaranteed to be Atalanta’s prior to heading down to Napoli – the boys have to be thrilled that they took care of business in a “trap” game, and can now head down south with an additional shot of confidence.
Atalanta Passione Match Ratings
Juan Musso: 7- He did well on Venezia’s long shots, and showed off the acrobatics to hit the ground on Henry’s firecracker of a low shot.
Berat Djimsiti: 7 – Surprisingly playing on the right side of the defense, Djimsiti barely put a foot wrong, and was steady, per usual, at the back.
Merih Demiral: 7 – Another strong game for the Turk, who has looked to put his recent struggles behind him.
Jose Luis Palomino: 6.5 – Overall he was strong, but a key mistake nearly let Henry on goal unopposed, ultimately bailed out by his compatriot.
Hans Hateboer: 6.5 – Fantastic to see the Dutchman back! It looks like he didn’t go full throttle in his first match action since May, but he made no grave errors and as always had a good relationship working the flank with Ilicic.
Giuseppe Pezzella: 7 – He picked up his first goal contribution for La Dea, assisting Koopmeiners, and was extremely busy and spirited winning his left flank.
Teun Koopmeiners: 8 – Netted his first goal in black and blue, but more importantly was a stalwart bossing the midfield in attack and defense.
Matteo Pessina: 6.5 – His passing was not great today, but his defensive work and tackling stood out more than recently expected from the Italian.
Josip Ilicic: 7.5 – His hypnotic pace put Venezia to sleep, and got Atalanta off to the strong start it needed.
Mario Pasalic: 9 – He loves beating up on newly promoted sides, and Tuesday was not different with a hattrick that came down to his remarkable positioning.
Luis Muriel: 7.5 – He missed a sitter, but redeemed himself with two wonderful assists.
Marten de Roon: 6.5 – The match was pretty much decided by the time he came on, not needing to assert his influence on the match.
Giorgio Scalvini: s/v
Roberto Piccoli: s/v
Aleksey Miranchuk: s/v
Rafael Toloi: s/v – Why Gasperini tried to sub him on, no one will ever know???
Atalanta Passione Man of the Match – Mario Pasalic
Mario Pasalic is really putting a stranglehold on this award, but who else can you pick? Pasalic’s hattrick puts him on seven goals for the season, and he now sits in the top 10 in Serie A for both goals and assists. Per usual, everything comes down to positioning with Pasalic – and rather than being at the right place at the right time, he just knows where to be inside the box to be an easy target for teammates. Beyond his goal contributions, Pasalic (again) was a pristine passer completing 40 of 44 passes – the total package today.
Other Atalanta vs. Venezia Odds and Ends
With Napoli on the weekend, Gasperini’s gamble to sit so many starters paid off in spades. The opportunity for Duvan Zapata, Remo Freuler, Ruslan Malinovskyi, Davide Zappacosta, Joakim Maehle, and Rafael Toloi to get a night will be huge amid a clogged domestic and international calendar.
Luis Muriel has played 106 minutes since the last international break. In that time he has now scored two goals and contributed three assists. He should’ve had a third goal today, but his dynamism has been something else since his return from South America. It looks like Atalanta is getting closer and closer to having the Colombian thunder and lightning duo clicking again.
Atalanta have now secured two consecutive clean sheets for the first time this season, thanks both to great work by the defense and keeper Juan Musso. Until Tuesday, the last time Atalanta earned two consecutive clean sheet was a year ago when it saw off Ajax and Fiorentina in back to back matches.
Both Giuseppe Pezzella and Teun Koopmeiners had firsts today. Koopmeiners with a goal, and Pezzella with a goal contribution. Pezzella specifically showed a new gear today that has not yet been seen from him, and he looks quite comfortable cutting into the middle to help keep the offense flowing.
Atalanta continues rolling now having won four straight matches in Serie A, and perhaps more noteworthy two straight victories at home. Earning points at home has been a struggle all year for Atalanta, but it seems like the probabilities are starting to teeter back towards normalcy. Regardless, its comforting that Atalanta can play so well both on the road and at home. Now that the home points that must be earned are rolling in, Atalanta can turn its focus to one of its most important two match spells this season. Napoli on the road and Villarreal at home will be huge tests – but if Tuesday is any sign of what’s to come – bring it on! As always, Forza Dea!!!
