This may have been Atalanta’s last chance to stay within striking distance for the Top 4. And the siege at the Gewiss stadium could not hold, and frankly the ultimate outcome was noticeable nearly from the get-go. Alexander Blessin’s revamped Genoa side has now mustered a seventh consecutive draw, and Atalanta had few answers to combat il Grifone’s well established press. From the start of the match Atalanta was pinned in the either corner of its own defensive half with minimal answers on how to work out of danger. Fortunately for La Dea, Genoa lacked a potent playmaker to help convert chances created from its press into goal; otherwise I may be writing about more than just offensive frailties.
Its tough to decide where to begin airing the complaints. The lineup choice was questionable, Atalanta seemed slow to every 50/50 ball, and there was little to no cohesion in the offensive buildup. Bad touches, bad passes, and poor offensive positioning was a night-and-day difference from what Atalanta displayed Thursday night, and it is difficult to ascertain what the problem was. Regardless of Genoa’s press and defensive setup, Atalanta reverted back into its bad habit of hoof-and-pray. The main problem this time around was an absent Duvan Zapata to absorb the beating from the opposition’s defense. Mario Pasalic and Luis Muriel cannot withstand a full battering for 90 minutes, so oftentimes even if Genoa didn’t immediately win the ball back after a failed clearance, the Rossoblu only had to wait a moment or two for a poor string of passes that would eventually end the offensive threat.
Genoa’s strategy has been very effective – just ask Atalanta, Roma, and Inter – and honestly Blessin’s setup is not too far off from the strategy I posited in my tactical series. But for Atalanta’s present, today’s result opens up a floodgate of legitimate questions that seem unanswerable. There’s no reason to divulge into the unknown, but there are reasons to be concerned about Atalanta’s ability to consistently create offense. The silver lining is if teams try to replicate Genoa’s blueprint of pressing, they may fail to successfully implement the finer details of a regimented positional tactic; thus, Atalanta may not have to face such a unique setup for the rest of the year. But in case, Gian Piero Gasperini’s men do face a hybrid of Blessin’s press – let’s hope they can develop a better strategy than hoof and pray.
Three Small Keys to Three Big Points Review
Always Be Charging Forward- Boy did i ever call this one incorrectly. Genoa did anything but setup in the low block, not even giving Atalanta the opportunity to push numbers forward. The few times Atalanta did get forward, they were able to create a few decent chances, but these chances were the exception and not the norm.
Mind the Counterattack- Again Genoa spent so much time in Atalanta’s half, La Dea should have been the team looking to pounce on the counter. Atalanta’s inability to rapidly get numbers forward is puzzling. With good speed on the wings, it feels like Atalanta should be able to create far more counterattacking chances than it currently does.
Simply Play with Passion- Maybe the passion was there, maybe it wasn’t, or maybe it was masked by the fatigue of playing on Thursday night. Regardless, Atalanta lost the hustle battle. A midfield devoid of Remo Freuler and Marten de Roon again demonstrates the importance the Siamese twins have on the squad. Energy dissipates from the squad when one of them is not in the lineup.
Atalanta Passione’s Match Ratings
Goalkeeper: 7 – Marco Sportiello made a few nice stops, including a well timed one-on-one battle that could have turned the tides and the score line in favor of the visitors.
Defense: 7 – The only unit that was worth its salt on Sunday. Scalvini was great at the back, and Jose Luis Palomino did an excellent job on a pesky and energetic Kelvin Yeboah.
Wingbacks: 5 – Davide Zappacosta’s quality in the box has fallen off a cliff, and he wasn’t much better helping to build out from the back. Joakim Maehle wasn’t much better on the opposite side, although he did have a nifty outside of the boot pass that Luis Muriel failed to hit first time.
Midfield: 5 – Teun Koopmeiners was the obvious man for Genoa to pester, and he was effectively neutralized. Matteo Pessina was probably the worst player on the pitch, lacking technical acumen, strength, and speed. In fact he was so poor, Mario Pasalic was asked to take up a role in the double pivot; unfortunately he did not do a whole lot better.
Attack: 5.5 – Ruslan Malinovskyi was dogged all match, and while Luis Muriel had a few good chances and even clipped the post – he was nowhere near as magical as he was on Thursday night.
Substitutes: 5 – Why Jeremie Boga was playing at wingback, I have no idea. He had nothing to contribute playing so far back. Rafael Toloi, Hans Hateboer, and others did not have much more to offer upon insertion.
Atalanta Passione’s Man of the Match- Jose Luis Palomino
Jose Palomino was the only reason that Yeboah had no good chances on goal as a reward for his insane workrate. Spending so much time in defense permitted Palomino to be the standout man on Atalanta’s backline, calmly marshalling a youngster on the right and a man playing a bit clumsy on the right. With six interceptions and six aerial duels completed (at a 100% success rate), Genoa most definitely would have had a few more dangerous chances at Sportiello without his steady effort.
Other Match Odds and Ends
Atalanta has no played to five goalless draws this year. Before that, Atalanta was averagin one goalless draw in Serie A per year, and it took the club four and a half years (before this season) to accumulate the same quantity of goalless draws than they have mustered this year.
Mario Pasalic did not have the greatest match, but it was made even worse by two ghastly slips that stifled potentially dangerous attacks. Not a criticism, just an unfortunate coincidence – and maybe a signal to check his cleats.
Matteo Pessina’s season has been forgettable. The player who once felt like a glue piece in the Atalanta attack was seriously overrun against an aggressive and physical team. What is the most concerning about Pessina is he has gone to be a player that was good but not great at anything to a player that is below-average but not bad at anything. He was riding the fine line of an average contributor, and unfortunately has swung too far to the left. Sadly he has become a last resort rotational option for me.
Marco Sportiello has now played in four matches this year, only conceding one goal from open play (an unsavable header from Danilo against Juventus). Not that he is preferable over Juan Musso, but it feels like Sportiello’s performance is another data point that there is a lot of risk in big spending on goalkeepers.
Even with today’s result, its important to take a step back and a deep breath. A lot can happen in the final ten matches of the year, but nothing good will happen unless something changes. Getting Duvan back is a good start, but simply being aggressive and spirited against a team that is not afraid to punch back is also desirable.
Perhaps the Thursday night fatigue is getting in the way of consistent hustle, but that then opens up a new can of worms about reliable depth. Let’s just work towards the international break, and reassess. Until then, let’s rest up and hope the quarterfinals of the Europa League are still in the cards. As always, Forza Dea!!!
