A Tougher Battle Thanks to Some Late Heroics
It was quite the month for Atalanta, winning four matches in Serie A, and earning two vital points in the Champion’s League. The name of the game, finally, this month was offense – and there was lots of it in November’s six matches. In La Dea’s six matches, Atalanta scored in each contesting – including matches in which it notches three, four, and five goals.
So how could the player of the month not go to an Atalanta attacking player? And choosing between Mario Pasalic and Duvan Zapata, while hard, is what people would call a good problem. Two elite months from Atalanta’s most in-form players, but the accolades have to go to the Colombian, Duvan Zapata.
The Monthly Highlights
Matches Played: 5
Goals: 5
Assists: 2
Moment of the Month: Zapata finds himself on the end of a killer ball from Berat Djimsiti to blast a shot past Wojciech Szczesny to earn Atalanta its first victory in Turin since 1989.
Mario Pasalic may have had the matches with goal scoring volume to make the greatest of strikers blush, but what Zapata brought this month was consistency. With goals in every match he participated in during November, Zapata has been the offense crutch Atalanta was consistently able to turn to, both during matches of abundance and famine. Five goals in five games, and two assists to the good, Zapata didn’t miss a beat in any of his matches – and oftentimes his goals are not the work of precision positioning (no hate to Pasalic on that front).
Beyond his clinical finishing, Zapata’s work in the overall build-up cannot be overlooked. Every match he’s balling out in the trenches, playing on both flanks and through center, all depending on what the situation called for. Given that Zapata has won Atalanta’s Twitter official Man of the Month in September and October, it’d be nice to have someone other than Duvan hogging the spotlight; but, honestly if he keeps putting his name in the conversation for monthly accolades – it can only be a good thing. The goals must be coming in, and Atalanta is not squeaking past opponents by the skin of its teeth. Goals are good, I’d much rather be giving this award to forwards!
Congrats to Duvan this month, and let’s hope his hard work continues to be rewarded with goals and points for La Dea!!!
