Date: December 8, 2021
Time: 21:00 CET, 15:00 EST
All the cards are on the table Wednesday. Atalanta wins, and its in – to the round of 16 that is. If it fails to secure points, its fate is up to the hands of Young Boys and Manchester United to see if La Dea will continue in Europe. Fortunately Atalanta still have its destiny in its own hands – its just a matter if the boys can do anything with it. Atalanta have obviously been flying high in Serie A – winning six straight matches – but its European adventures have not been as fruitful.
Having failed to win since the second matchday of the Champion’s League, Atalanta will have a task on its hands looking to secure points against the king of the draw in Villarreal. As dangerous as Villarreal can be, the boys from Valencia have nearly drawn half its matches in La Liga, finding itself quite far down the Spanish table in 13th place.
Still, the first matchup between the clubs proves what Villarreal can do. A Dani Parejo led attack with numerous striker and wing options is a lot for any team to handle. Even if the Yellow Submarine has only averaged 1 goal per game in La Liga, Juan Musso’s heroics in September will remind all those that may be too overconfident that Villarreal can pepper a goal furiously if given a chance. Atalanta will need goals to advance, but cannot forget its duties at the back either.
Villarreal Player to Watch – Arnaut Danjuma
Villarreal’s hallmark signing of the offseason only saw 30 minutes against Atalanta – but his impact was felt. Netting a goal to give Villarreal the lead, he has only gone on to score six more goals since the last time Atalanta faced Villarreal – as well as setting up teammates for four assists.
To reframe the impact he has had for his new club, Danjuma has scored 31% of his team’s goals and with assists has contributed in 43% of Villarreal’s 16 goals. He’s been the sparkplug for Villarreal this season, and with his speed is capable of putting captain Rafael Toloi and his backline in a spot of bother.
Atalanta Passione’s Predicted Starting XI
There should be no messing around from Gian Piero Gasperini with the lineup this week. With three points an absolute requirement, it shouldn’t be a surprise to see Atalanta’s most in-form lineup. The only changes may be inserting Berat Djimsiti into the backline (but who exits the lineup for him?) and Hans Hateboer slotting into the right wing if Gasperini deems he’s fully fit and Zappacosta is still feeling some ill effects from his earlier ankle injury.
Atalanta Passione’s Three Keys to Three Points
Don’t Let Dani Parejo Control the Game- Ex-Valencia man Dani Parejo is one of the best and most underrated registas in Europe, capable of pulling the strings if given the opportunity. Marten de Roon and Remo Freuler will have to minimize the silly mistakes to ensure that Parejo’s touches are kept to a minimum. There’s no player really like him in Serie A that Atalanta could use as a template to prepare for him – but keep him in spots of bother, and do everything possible to prevent him from passing the ball forward.
Mind the Left Side of the Pitch- The aforementioned Danjuma lives on the left side of the pitch, and his teammate, Ecuadorian Pervis Estupinan is noteworthy for making strong overlapping runs to overload the left side of the pitch. Two speedsters up against Toloi and two wingbacks that may or may not be 100% is a tall order. Extra attention must be paid to the left side of Villarreal’s attack to minimize any major threats.
Bring the Big Game Mentality- Atalanta goes into its 3rd straight Champion’s League group stage finale with the final result up in the air. Previously Atalanta put Shakhtar and Ajax to the sword, winning three points when it mattered. Its arguable that this Villarreal team is stronger than both of Atalanta’s previous opponents – making it all the more important to keep a positive mentality for 90 minutes. Thrilling away victories against Juventus and Napoli are good warm-up tests, and the mentality exuded in both wins is exactly what is needed for Atalanta to guarantee Villarreal cannot take over the match for 10-15 minutes per half.
There’s snow in the forecast for Bergamo on Wednesday night. A good omen perhaps? The minimum low temperature in Villarreal in December is about 8 degrees Celsius, and a cold blustery night in Bergamo (or Stoke?!?) may become a surprising protagonist in Wednesday’s proceedings. If you listen to the AtalantaPOD you know that I have theorized that Atalanta are a cold weather team given there are so many Northern Europeans on the club… so Wednesday is the perfect opportunity to continue pushing my agenda and hopefully falling into the trap of confirmation bias! But I’ll settle with three points, regardless if its a winter wonderland or not. If the cards fall right, we’ll treat three points as an early Christmas present! As always, Forza Dea!!!
