Date: December 4, 2021
Time: 20:45 CET, 14:45 EST
The big tests seem endless for La Dea who after dethroning Juventus on the road travel down to Campania for an even tougher challenge against current Serie A leaders Napoli. Napoli has been on some astounding form to start the year under new coach Luciano Spalletti. The only club in Italy to not yet concede double digit goals, Napoli’s stellar defense can perhaps be slightly overlooked simply because of its prolific offense. Fabian Ruiz, Victor Osihmen, Lorenzo Insigne, Dries Mertens, and Piotr Zielinski have all contributed at least four goals for i Partonepei – so offense can come from all corners of the field against Atalanta’s backline.
However, Napoli has been the receiver of some bad injury luck this week, with Kalidou Koulibaly joining Osimhen and Andre Anguissa on the sideline. In addition, both Ruiz and Insigne are not guaranteed starters after exiting this week’s match against Sassuolo. Facing a potentially weakened Napoli lineup, Gasperini and company should be using these absences as fuel to take the match to Napoli. But everyone still needs to be wary of all the weapons Napoli can throw at a defense! The aforementioned Zielinski and Mertens, plus Hirving Lozano and Matteo Politano on the wings is an enviable attack that can still wreak havoc. Atalanta must be disciplined at the back, while taking advantage of a weakened backline to pull of its second upset in as many weeks.
Napoli Player to Watch – Piotr Zielinski
Plenty of offense already runs through the Pole, but he may be asked to do even more this weekend. And it should be no problem for him. Zielinski already has four goals and four assists to his name, while being a driving force up the middle that prevents a defense from zoning in on Insigne and Lozano or Politano on the wings. Atalanta last year received a healthy dose of what Zielinski can do, scoring a wondrous volley goal against La Dea, and is capable of pulling off the spectacular with his passing or his shooting. It feels like another day for Marten de Roon to spy on the playmaker all match, and ensure that Zielinski cannot get a foot of space to create. Easier said than done….
Atalanta Passione’s Predicted Starting XI
As the squad continues to get healthy – preparing a lineup starts to become more of a challenge for Gian Piero Gasperini and his associates. Hans Hateboer return provides much needed depth on the wings, but the coaches may want to be more cautious with his minutes and increase his match time more methodically. Davide Zappacosta and Joakim Maehle are the logical choices to occupy the wings – and both will not be able to slack defensively with the offensive contribution their adversaries, Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Mario Rui, can provide.
Up front, its all about feeding Zapata. With no Koulibaly for Napoli, Atalanta have to get the ball early and often into the Colombian and see what work we can do on Amir Rrahmani and Juan Jesus. With Mario Pasalic working his positional magic off the anchor man, Atalanta can potentially wreak a lot of havoc in David Ospina’s box.
At the back, Atalanta defensive job becomes a bit trickier with the absence of Victor Osimhen. A line led by Dries Mertens provides a more technical challenge for the defense. La Dea won’t have to deal with elite speed of the Nigerian, but Mertens has been a capable backup in his absence and his technique has shone brightly. It will be up to Merih Demiral (or Jose Luis Palomino) to guarantee that Mertens cannot get an inch of space to get a shot off. If he does, chances are it will put Juan Musso in a spot of bother.
Atalanta’s Three Keys to Three Points
Let Duvan Zapata Eat- Regardless of where he is on the pitch, Atalanta needs to be feeding him the ball. Koulibaly’s absence puts a lot of pressure on Rrahmani and Jesus, and while both are nice pieces, neither can make up for the class of the Senegalese national. Like Atalanta’s plan against Cagliari, where Zapata was often making nifty turns to beat the defense, a similar strategy could work well to get big Duvan plenty of opportunities in the box – and of course even more opportunities to dish off passes to a lurking Mario Pasalic.
Make the Midfield a Wasteland- Without Anguissa and most likely Ruiz, Napoli will have to rely on a midfield duo potentially of Stanislaus Lobotka and Diego Demme. While both good defensive midfielders – that duo should not be able to outdo Atalanta’s classic double pivot of Remo Freuler and De Roon. Preventing any attacking going through the middle makes it just a bit more difficult to get Zielinski the ball through the middle, and perhaps a slower Napoli attack.
Mind the Runs of Giovanni Di Lorenzo- Di Lorenzo is Roberto Mancini’s first choice right back on the National Team for a reason. He is solid in all aspects of his game, and knows how to make well timed runs into the box. Knowing Joakim Maehle’s defense limitations, Di Lorenzo’s overloads with whoever his wing partner is could present a big challenge for the Danish national. Either Berat Djimsiti or Palomino need to be ready to be shifting off man duties with Maehle depending on what the situation calls for, and ensure that Di Lorenzo cannot get in a position deep in the box to dish up a cross to any one of Napoli’s deadly shooters.
Another huge six point swinging match is on the line for La Dea. A victory for Atalanta, and the boys are within two points of Napoli, after being double digit points behind the Neopolitans only a few weeks ago. But with a loss, Atalanta will have to methodically claw its way back up the table. And while it would only be a minor setback, three points would be another major statement, and most definitely force pundits all over Europe to rethink how the Serie A race will shape up this year. But let’s focus one thing and one match at a time. If Atalanta plays its game, the score will take care of itself. Now its down to execution! As always, Forza Dea!!!
