Date: December 21, 2021
Time: 20:45 CET, 14:45 EST
The last match week before the Christmas break takes Atalanta down to Liguria where the boys take on a Genoa side already hunkered down in a relegation battle. Very little has gone right for Genoa this year, who have managed to squeeze out a single victory on the calendar (against relegation buddy Cagliari). Andriy Shevchenko’s midyear takeover of the club has done little to reverse it fortunes – as it took the club five matches to score its first Serie A goal under his watch. With two goals in six Serie A matches under the Ukrainian, Genoa have not gotten the shot in the arm some teams hope for when hiring a new manager, and frankly they’re barely treading water at this point.
Needless to say, this should be a match that Atalanta should grab by the horns immediately. All of Milan, Juventus, Sampdoria, and Lazio were able to score two goals during their recent victories over Gian Piero Gasperini’s former club. The four goals Atalanta put up last May against Il Grifone is a good barometer for what Atalanta should look to replicate this time out, but let’s do without conceding three in uncomfortable fashion, shall we?! A midweek victory puts Atalanta on 40 points by the halfway point for the first time in the club’s history, but let’s see it to the finish line this time out. Genoa will obviously set up to counter attack, and while the quality will not be that of Villarreal or Roma, Atalanta can unfortunately sometimes be an EOGG – and Equal Opportunity Goal Gifter. I know its Christmas, but let’s not get carried away with the Christmas spirit just yet!
Genoa Player to Watch – Andrea Cambiaso
The young Italian left wingback has been one of the few bright spots for Genoa this season, firmly staking his claim on the left flank for Shevchenko. Leading Genoa outfield players in minutes and matches started, its quite a testament to the 21-year old from Genoa that he’s become a staple of the club in his first full season in red and blue. With a goal and four assists to his name, Cambiaso and Juventus loanee Nicolo Rovella actually are leading a respectable youth movement in Genoa. But is it enough to overcome the frailties seen all over the rest of the pitch? Probably not. But Cambiaso is certainly a player that can pick you apart if given the opportunity.
Atalanta Passione’s Predicted Starting XI
A short rest between matchdays shouldn’t be too much of a concern for Gasperini when fielding a lineup, but he still has a lot of freedom to jostle the lineup around. Unfortunately Joakim Maehle has suffered a broken foot, leaving Atalanta with only Giuseppe to marshal on the left flank – and probably demoting Davide Zappacosta to a deputy role so he can fill in on either side as the match unfolds.
Defensively, with Rafael Toloi also injured, its time to see Merih Demiral back in the middle. While Toloi and Jose Luis Palomino have been good to great most of the year, a single trio has yet to emerge that screams, “this is the back three.” Gasperini may continue to try formations until he lands on what he deems to be the most ‘reliable,’ but until then each match predicting the back three, when all centerbacks are healthy, becomes as easy as winning Three-card Monte.
Up front, its crazy to think that Duvan Zapata seems to score nearly every match, but has yet to hit double digit goals in Serie A. He hasn’t scored in his last three matches, and while his work rate and buildup contribution against Napoli and Hellas Verona made up for not getting on the score sheet, it would be nice to get the Colombian at double digit goals at the halfway point – more for easy math to reach the coveted 20 goal peak. Realistically it feels like a good game to get Luis Muriel some minutes, but let’s be a little greedy with this selection – everyone gets two weeks off after Tuesday anyway!
Other Genoa vs. Atalanta Match News
As previously mentioned, Atalanta can go into the winter break on 40 points with a victory. Never before has Atalanta had such a tally halfway through the season, and a victory would put Atalanta four points ahead of where it was at this point last year. A word of caution, last time out before the Christmas break – Atalanta had a nice and comfortable two goal cushion against Bologna before falling asleep in the second half and ultimately earning a measly point. Let’s ensure that the pre-Christmas midweek hangover doesn’t set in too quickly again.
Again as previously mentioned, Joakim Maehle looks set to miss considerable time with a broken foot. A painful sounding injury, there is no timetable for his return, but Atalanta is down to its only left wing back with Giuseppe Pezzella. Robin Gosens should be back early in 2022, but the scouting and management team deserves a big shoutout for effectively addressing the depth issue at wingback this year. With five wingbacks available, injuries have never set Atalanta up to be comfortable with depth at the position, but simultaneously the stellar play of Zappacosta and the recent good play of Pezzella has certainly lessened the injury blow experienced on the wings.
Rumors have been surfacing that Atalanta is looking to bring in Leicester City’s Head of Scouting Lee Congerton. This is quite the move, if true, for Atalanta as it marks a potential change in vision for the Percassi’s. Bringing in an English speaking individual in a setup that is heavily if not all Italian is quite the statement from a regional team on what it may expect in its future European conquests (certainly more to come on this story later).
Tuesday may feel like a straightforward match, but it is still anything but that. The difference in talent, form, and motivation is measurable, but no one should be comfortable until that clock hits 90 minutes, and the ref’s whistle blows three times. Missteps happen all the time, and even this year during an incredible run of form Atalanta had three points stolen at the final minutes against Udinese. Genoa should be an easy opponent to dispatch, but Gasperini must ensure that the boys don’t leave it to chance. Like the Venezia match, everyone needs to put in an all out effort and engulf Genoa with superior quality right from the start. Then we can begin celebrating a successful first half of the season. And who knows, if Torino can somehow make Inter slip up – an even juicier Scudetto race as January rolls around! As always, Forza Dea!!!
