Date: June 21, 2020
Time: 13:30 EST
It feels great to be back! A fury of matches to get us through the hot summer months kicks off with La Dea hosting the always scrappy Sassuolo. With empty stands, but hungry hearts Atalanta look to pick up with the white-hot form they were carrying into March. The same could, however, be said for Sassuolo who had won 3 of their last 5 matches prior to the COVID break (granted 2 of the victories were against near-guaranteed relegation sides Brescia and SPAL). Not to mention, Sassuolo winger Jeremie Boga was going through a fine spell of form, making a name for himself and as a potential transfer target either back to Chelsea or other top sides in Europe.
With a 3 month hiatus this match carries much importance for a variety of reasons. First, most clubs and players have never experienced a break from game action this long. Even during a normal season, clubs at least have August to warm up with pre-season friendlies. But now, BOOM, points are immediately on the line, and the team that is the least rusty will benefit the most. Fortunately, Gasperini’s squads are notoriously known for their stamina, so I’m confident that Gasp will have the boys rearing to go. At least if not from a technical standpoint, at least to run all over the pitch and provide their classic pressuring style.
After dismantling Sassuolo 4-1 earlier this year in comfortable fashion. There is no real reason La Dea shouldn’t be able to earn 3 comfortable points. The full squad is healthy, and with Toloi and Djimsiti back in the line-up, the classic back 3 we’ve grown accustomed to should provide the baseline needed to feed the attack.
More than anything, I’m just thrilled for football to be back. The absence of match action left a void inside me and so many other passionate football fans. And while there are always more important things that will outshine football, deservedly so, there’s still something to be said about the therapeutic nature of 90 minutes of football to take your mind off the problems we all face on a daily basis. So win, lose, or draw on Sunday, I’m just thrilled to welcome Serie A back into our lives, and to return to some semblance of normalcy. And as always, Forza Atalanta!
