Date: January 16, 2022
Time: 20:45 CET, 14:45 EST
The Coppa Italia midweek has barely finished and its already time to change gears to one of the most difficult tests remaining in Serie A this year. Inter Milan hardly needs any introductions, and Simone Inzaghi’s side has barely skipped a beat after the departure of former skipper Antonio Conte and the club’s biggest fanboy Romelu Lukaku. Inter is capable of scoring from most anywhere on the pitch, while simultaneously being resolute and flat out stingy at the back. With the most goals scored and second fewest conceded in the league, Inter’s filthy goal differential is a testament to the quality that has fostered quite the working relationship through its ranks over the past few years.
Now Atalanta know a thing or two about building a squad and supplementing where needed, and can go toe to toe with Inter on its day. However, victories against the Nerazzurri have been tough to come by for Gasperini’s men, having failed to beat the Milan side in its last six attempts – 2018 was La Dea’s last victory in a comprehensive 4-1 victory. A victory was snatched from Atalanta’s hands in the waning minutes last September, in what was one of the best games of the Serie A season to date. A 2-2 draw may not do justice to how well Atalanta played, but again, some momentary lapses in judgement permitted Inter to earn a draw, and very nearly a victory (thanks to Federico Di Marco’s missed penalty). Minimizing the mistakes that lead to furious transitions will decide the game for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side, as Inter’s furious counter attackers and clinical finishers will not bail out Atalanta from its mistakes. Stay tuned to which defensive mentality shows up – if its anything like what we witnessed against Venezia, there is reason to be encouraged.
Inter Player to Watch – Lautaro Martinez
When he’s not tugging on Rafael Toloi’s legs in the box, the Argentinian who looks like an oompa-loompa (without the orange tint) when viewed on TV is one of the most clinical finishers in Serie A. Having already slotted home 11 goals on the year, Lautaro looks poised to improve on last year’s tally of 17 league goals, and still has an outside shot to be the league’s top scorer. His wonder strike (albeit off his upper ankle) against Atalanta in September demonstrates what he can do with an inch of space, and it may be up to country man Jose Luis Palomino to guarantee that he’s reigned in and not allowed room to maneuver.
Atalanta Passione’s Predicted Starting XI
Predicting the starting XI continues to be a challenge with the uncertainty surrounding COVID. If Wednesday’s team sheet suggests anything, Atalanta could potentially be without Rafael Toloi, Davide Zappacosta, and Roberto Piccoli – as well as Duvan Zapata and Robin Gosens to garden variety injuries. With the additional frailty at the back, it makes more sense to keep Marten de Roon in reserve, deploying him either at the back or the midfield – depending on what the match dictates.
In addition, it is impossible to take Teun Koopmeiners out of the starting lineup now. It is not crazy to say that he may already be one of Atalanta’s best players, and frankly he has quietly made many (myself included) forget our former beloved double pivot. That’s what quality does! Joining Koopmeiners in the middle should of course be Remo Freuler, and then it gets a little trickier picking out the wings (even with two men absent). Giuseppe Pezzella has quietly worked himself up the pecking order, and has become a viable option against more potent opponents. Regardless if Pezzella plays, Joakim Maehle thoroughly deserves to play the opposite flank of either Hans Hateboer or Pezzella. Goal streak aside, we may be witnessing the Maehle coming out party, and you’d hate to put the breaks on what could be an ascent to his national form.
Three Minor Keys to Three Big Points
Pepper Shots on Target- In a sea of excellent players the merely ‘good’ Samir Handanovic may be the easiest player to target. Rafael Toloi’s goal last match was due to a Handanovic error, and the more shots on goal Atalanta can take, the more opportunities there are to catch the Slovenian flatfooted.
Keep Edin Dzeko Far from the Eighteen- Dzeko’s holdup and linkup play is elite, and his ability to connect with Lautaro is a dangerous combination. Dzeko will undoubtedly get his touches around the box, but forcing him to be creative closer to the midway mark will neutralize a key point of Inter’s offense – and also importantly keep Dzeko and Lautaro further from stationary shot opportunities inside the box.
Force Inter to Defend Further Away From Goal– This can be accomplished in two different ways. First, the aforementioned shots on targets will require Milan Skriniar, Stefan De Vrij, and Alessandro Bastoni to come further out and defend the danger provided by Ruslan Malinovskyi and Luis Muriel. Second, Skriniar and de Vrij in particular excel with their work inside the box. They lose a bit of effectiveness when forced to be mobile, and if Luis Muriel has his tricks on point – he could put both the centerbacks in a spot of bother.
With Inter Milan being the class of Serie A so far, an disciplined and spectacular performance is necessary to hang with the Scudetto favorites. Bravery and fearlessness, traits Atalanta possesses in spades, are a requirement – because showing anything less may be enough for Inter’s quality to eventually and slowly overtake the game. Atalanta had the blueprint last time out – given how comfortable the guys looked in the first half – it will just take 90 minutes of full attention and focus. Let’s go do it – and as always, Forza Dea!!!
