With all due respect to Atalanta’s amateur opponents as well as its Lombardian neighbors, La Dea’s preseason finally kicks off this weekend. Its far too easy to put far too much stock into what goes down in the preseason, but what are we to do… we’ve been depraved of Atalanta football for two months! And on Friday night, or evening (20:45 CET, 14:45 EST), Atalantini worldwide will have the good fortune to watch La Dea take on Newcastle United. Even better for us fans, the game will be streamed for free on NUFC TV (they do have an Android app too).
Its not a stretch to say that this offseason has been devoid of excitement. Bad news aside (looking at you Seis), La Dea have had one offseason signing, one loan option exercised, and the hiring of a new Sporting Director. So there hasn’t been a whole lot to write home about, making live matches a sight for sore eyes. And is there a better way to get started than against the new draftees into the billionaires club; Newcastle?
A team that at one time last year looked like it would be knocked down into the Championship, Eddie Howe has nicely steered the ship and put England’s northern most Premier League side in a good position to start capitalizing on its newly bloated bank account. The Magpies have wasted little time dipping into the coffers already signing Nick Pope, Matt Targett, and Sven Botman this summer. Pairing that shored up defense with a lively offense that includes speedsters Callum Wilson, Miguel Almiron, and Allan Saint-Maximin and there is a squad there that could already be on the cusp of sneaking into the Top-7.
What Should We Expect from Atalanta?
In preseason there should be no expectation to earn a ‘result.’ Instead it is important to look for a base level of form going into the Serie A calendar. Does the shape look good? Does the starting XI have a rhythm developing? And are new additions at least appearing to be acclimating nicely into the side. While Atalanta does not have huge roster turnover, there are still lingering questions that Atalantini may catch a glimpse of an answer from on Friday.
Firstly, what is going on at wingback? There have been no new reinforcements for what seemed to be the weakest link in Atalanta’s last season. Instead Gian Piero Gasperini’s preference has been to blend the old guard with the loan army. My most anticipated moment of Friday’s friendly will be to see how Nadir Zortea gets on with his parent club. After spending the last few years on loan with Cremonese and Salernitana, the Atalanta youth product may finally get a chance with the big club, and Atalanta’s inactivity on the wingback market could partially be due to Gasperini’s faith in the 23 year old. After flashes of brilliance at Salernitana last year, sign me up to at least give an early season flyer to Zortea.
Second, how does Ederson fit into the squad? He is quite different than the other three midfielders that Atalanta employed centrally last season. Does Gasperini let him freely go on marauding runs, or does he play a tamer role? Honestly, we probably don’t answer this question, or really any of them, in 90 minutes of preseason football – but is always interesting to see how new signings kick on immediately after signing.
Third and finally, what does our attacking shape look like? Rumors have heavily been swirling around Andrea Pinamonti all summer. With a desire to have three legitimate striking options, does it signal a change in offensive approach by Gasperini, or is it an apparent depth play by the skipper? Teams rarely use a two striker formation in Italy these days, but with Josip Ilicic, Aleksei Miranchuk, and Matteo Pessina likely all on the way out the door – maybe Gasperini prefers to fill up the offensive depth with a striker rather than an attacking midfielder. All this could go out the door if Ademola Lookman signs with Atalanta, but with only Ruslan Malinovskyi remaining as Atalanta’s only left footed attacking option, our balance and attack initiation position could look a lot different.
Regardless of what we see on Friday – football is back! Two months is a long time to sit, stew, and wonder what all went wrong last season. But the wait is over, now there is a brand new set of problems to complain about and overanalyze. I’m thrilled to do it with you all, but for now let’s at least put on a good showing in the north of England and start of the season with something positive to talk about! As always, Forza Dea!!!
