My how quickly everything can fall apart at one position. One minute Atalanta is rocking the best wingback setup in Serie A, and the next it is the biggest liability on the team. No longer are we in the era of Matteo Bonetti’s go-to Atalanta throw-away statement, in which he lauds Atalanta’s wingback to wingback combination inside the box (although it will be interesting to see if he continues with this talking point next year).
More important, however, than playing ‘guess what the commentator is thinking’ is trying to figure out a solution to a pretty big problem on the flanks.
It’s not rocket science to most that Atalanta’s problems began to surface with Robin Gosens out of the lineup. Double digit goals from the wing can mask a lot of problems that begin to rear their ugly head once those goals are no longer an option. Robin Gosens like players are so rare that it feels like a fool’s errand asking a new signing to responsibly score, contribute in attack, and play defense. Instead – a change in wingback philosophy may be in place. La Dea shouldn’t have to rely on wingbacks to score, so perhaps Gian Piero Gasperini should be looking for ones that possess usable traits on the far sides of the pitch.
Assessing the Current Stock
As the summer chugs along, it is likely that Atalanta will only have one wingback during the summer mercato months. Hans Hateboer has been rumored to already be on the market. Giuseppe Pezzella is not going to have his loan option exercised. And no one really knows why Gasperini doesn’t use Joakim Maehle – even though he may be Atalanta’s most versatile wingback option. Instead, La Dea will likely be left with just Davide Zappacosta – who is a good piece in his own right. He has the flexibility to play on both sides of the pitch, and can contribute well in the offensive buildup.
However, what Atalanta has severely lacked from its wingbacks this year is defensive contribution. In the chart below, you can see how Atalanta’s wingbacks compared to other fullbacks/wingbacks from La Liga, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, and Serie A. The x-axis is adjusted expected threat per 90 minutes of offensive possession. It is worth noting that this figure could be skewed for wingbacks who dump in a bunch of crosses (even if its a poor cross that results in a feeble header attempt). Hence why Zappacosta, Hateboer, and Maehle all rate above average.
More concerning is the defensive contribution. Normally it may not matter because defensive actions (which in this case is tackles, interceptions, and blocks all adjusted by minutes of defense) is dependent on the team’s defensive strategy. However, in Atalanta’s case which employs heavy man marking and winning the ball back through defensive work – having our two starters rate so low is an issue.
Giuseppe Pezzella was great defensively this year (which the eye test confirms), but La Dea’s closest wingback that could be ‘considered’ a well-rounded option (Maehle) looks to be out of favor with Gasperini.
So what does Atalanta do? Zappacosta looks like he will and should stay – as there seems to be something there still. But realistically Atalanta needs three more wingback options provided that Bosko Sutalo, Arkadiusz Reca, and Matteo Ruggeri are not potential options (they shouldn’t be). As I mentioned above – Atalanta likely needs a philosophical change in how wingbacks are employed, and the most glaring issue here is ones that have more of a penchant to perform defensively. Atalanta got burned on the counterattack numerous times this year, and a likely reason is how far forward the wingbacks always pushed. Coupled with guys that aren’t blessed with burning speed (Maehle and Pezzella) are ones that have lost a step (Hateboer), Atalanta could really benefit from a velocity injection. Especially considering the core of the team in midfield and defense will continue to get older and slower – speedy coverage has to come from somewhere, so it may as well come from the wings.
Atalanta Passione’s Proposed Options
Now for the unveiling of the names. The four identified players all have more versatility than Atalanta’s wingbacks from last year, and simultaneously should not break the bank. Without European football next year, our expectations on the loftiness of incoming transfer fees must be tempered a bit. Nonetheless there are still anywhere from interesting to excellent players that Atalanta could pursue – even more so in Serie A. To preface, I love all of these players, but I will order them in terms of likelihood of coming into the squad based on price, age, other potential suitors, etc.
Iyenoma (Destiny) Udogie (19): Udinese, $9.9M
Destiny is still a child (see what I did there!!!), and combining his youth and quality – its no mistake that many other teams in Serie A are interested in the youngster. Based on rate statistics, he rates the worst of the four options, but he also is the most consistent of four players, and also has a penchant for goal (putting away five goals as a wingback). His price tag is likely greater than 10M, and it may be hard to snatch him up, especially if there are other suitors that can splash more money. Atalanta missed the boat on Udogie when it was interested in him last summer, but maybe there’s some financial freedom to try one more time in a more luxurious auction room.
Petar Stojanovic (26): Empoli, $2.75M
Stojanovic is the analytic darling of this study. Only Alfonso Davies registered a better xThreat rating than the Dinamo Zagreb loanee, suggesting that the Slovenian probably can put in a mean cross when it matters. However, beyond his offensive contribution, he doesn’t falter with his defensive duties, and likely has the engine to get up and down the pitch when needed. He had plenty of practice with Empoli who employed a similar ‘ride or die’ strategy.
Silvan Hefti (24): Genoa, $5.5M
Even with Genoa’s relegation to Serie B, the squad still has a lot of interesting pieces both in midfield and defense that can be usable in the right system. In Atalanta’s case, the Swiss Silvan Hefti can be a busy sparkplug that offers defensive security, especially if Rafael Toloi is on one of his marauding runs. While his offensive contribution is average, it is likely that he was also constricted by Genoa’s horrible offense, and there may be a bit more there. But where he thrives is defense and pressing. No fullback pressed more than Hefti last year across the top five leagues, and even after adjusting for defensive minutes, Hefti still was a top 8 presser.
Fabiano Parisi (21): Empoli, $3.85M
Much like this his teammate on the opposite flank, Fabiano Parisi is a ball of energy. He may not have racked up the assists that other wingbacks have this year, but he is brilliant at shuttling the ball from the defensive third of the pitch to the offensive third. Atalanta often lacked decisive quick decision making when the wingbacks had the ball. Parisi could certainly change that his continuous penchant to get forward.
Where to Go From Here
Going through this study, it was evident how important it was (for me at least) to look for well-roundedness in terms of fullbacks. Atalanta’s offense may not have been great last year, but defensively the squad was caught out far too many times on the counterattack. Likely the result of having to push so many guys forward to make up for the lack of an offensive strategy. Regardless there are some excellent players out there that could thrive in a system that plays to their strengths. In Atalanta’s case, the wingbacks have always been lauded for their spirit and energy. Ever since Gosens left, that seemed to go out the window and is the perfect impetus to bring in new sparkplugs to effectively cover on both halves of the pitch.
None of these names may put up multiple goals, but maybe Atalanta doesn’t need them to. If they can bring speed and shuttling ability to unleash the attackers that are paid to score, it can be invaluable to the squad (much better than the indecision we witnessed from Hateboer so many times this year). Time to inject some life back into the squad – and it likely starts on the wings! As always, Forza Dea!!!
