Date: February 20, 2022
Time: 12:30 CET
There’s only one club that has defeated Atalanta twice in two opportunities this year. With a fixture resume that includes Inter, Juventus, Villarreal, and Manchester United over two matches; none of squads still duking it out in the Champion’s League can lay claim to this success. Instead it is…Fiorentina? Yes, La Viola have had Atalanta’s number this year, and with another lunchtime kickoff coming up in Florence, Atalanta will look to reverse Vincenzo Italiano’s triumphs over the Nerazzurri.
While Fiorentina’s squad is strong, Atalanta more importantly has to overcome the laundry list of injuries that have obliterated the squad in recent weeks. Gian Piero Gasperini has now Jose Palomino and Luis Muriel out for the next few weeks, leaving Atalanta with a bare bones attack – that includes zero strikers. Instead Atalanta will to have cobble up a strikerless formation devoid of any big bodies inside the box.
It has been a rough few weeks as Atalanta has tried to cope without Duvan Zapata. There have been flashes, but the boys are still looking to piece it all together up front. Out of necessity Atalanta now is forced to run out both Ruslan Malinovskyi and Jeremie Boga up front, but honestly this may be the best Zapata-less formation on the docket. Fiorentina and its beefy centerback pairing of Nikola Milenkovic and Igor will undoubtedly be a perfect test of this theory on speed over brawn.
Fiorentina Player to Watch – Nicolas Gonzalez
The big money move to bring the Argentinian over from the Bundesliga has not yet paid off for Vincenzo Italiano. With only two goals scored and three assists over nineteen matches, Gonzalez has been a lot of flash and little substance in his young career in Italy. But the talent is clearly there. A speedster who can sneak away from nearly any defender in the league, Gonzalez will have to continue to step his game up as La Viola continue to look for answers without Vlahovic.
Still, his offensive contribution does not go unnoticed to defenses. No one in Europe draws more fouls or penalties on a rate basis, demonstrating that his raw pace is dangerously problematic for opposition. But until his final end ball improves, as long as Atalanta bends but doesn’t break when marking the Argentinian, he can be contained. Just don’t foul him inside the box – he has now qualms about going down!
Atalanta Passione Predicted Starting XI
What a week to try and pick lineups. Atalanta is without four attacking options, and with Roberto Piccoli patiently waiting for playing time in Liguria, not even the youngster is available as a warm body. As mentioned above, the Ukrainian-Ivorian duo makes the most sense on paper, but the question then becomes who offers support to a duo that would rather dribble than fight in the box?
Mario Pasalic has not yet succeeded in his makeshift forward duties, but he still seems to be the best bet. To go clearly out of left field, seeing Hans Hateboer get the nod would get the juices flowing, but that feels too crazy to be a realistic solution. Ultimately it will probably come down to the Croat to hold down the center. His movement is great, he just lacks strength and aggression to fight for spaces at times.
Further back it should be business as usual. The numbers and eyes tell the world that Teun Koopmeiners is Atalanta’s best midfielder, and he continues to be an instant start in must-win games. The backline is thin without Palomino and Matteo Lovato, so it would be unsurprising to see Marten de Roon drop back to the defense in a pinch – but he’s also Atalanta’s best candidate to rustle the feathers of Jack Bonaventura in the middle.
Three Small Keys to Three Big Points
Composure Inside the Defensive Box- 80% of Fiorentina’s goals against Atalanta this year were initiated by penalties. Now this status is full of noise, but Atalanta has to ensure that it does not lose its head when Gonzalez, Ikone, and company are all scattering around inside the box.
Be Direct Against Milenkovic- The Serbian is a strapping specimen of a centerback, but he is not the most fleet of foot. With two quick left wingers capable of beating defenders on the dribble, both Boga and Mihaila should look to run right him – either beating him on the dribbling or forcing other defenders to offer assistance leaving openings elsewhere on the pitch.
Get Creative with the Long Balls- If Atalanta attempts any sort of long ball strategy, just make sure that Mario Pasalic is not the focal point of the activity. Milenkovic and Igor will soundly handle him. Instead what sort of creative options are open to release pressure and ignite offense? Unleashing Hans Hateboer on the right wing seems like a interesting strategy. Cristiano Biraghi is not quick, and have Hateboer bolt up the field can open up space in the middle of the pitch for what Pasalic is actually good at – moving around the box and sensing where the play is moving.
With Juventus drawing on Friday against Torino, La Dea can creep back into 4th position, tied on points with the Old Lady with a game in hand. More important than gaining ground in the standings is finding some semblance of an offense that can be creative and dangerous without a true striker. Footballers carrying multiple responsibilities continues to an interesting conversation topic, but Gasperini has the (un)fortunate pleasure to tinker and test it midseason. Once Boga entered, the Olympiacos match on Thursday looked to be an interesting template that can do damage – and may be Atalanta’s best foot forward.
Fiorentina is a good opponent to try new ideas against. The squad is good not great defensively, and can be the perfect pressure test to understand where new offensive ideas succeed and fail. But of course three points would be nice too! The squad always turns its game up with its back against the wall, Sunday is just another one of those days. As always, Forza Dea!!!
