Date: September 11, 2022
Time: 12:30 CET, 6:30 EST
A Quick Tale of the Tape
Atalanta: 1st place | 13 points | +7 GD | +4.9 xGD
Cremonese: 19th place | 1 point | -5 GD | -7.4 xGD
Another Lombardian Derby
Boom, Atalanta misses out on European spots and now it becomes the default good team to throw into the early lunchtime kickoff spot, or for the American folk – the dreaded breakfast kickoff. Those of us in the western hemisphere will still be amped and ready to go watch Atalanta play its first match in over half a century as the top team in the league. Of course Napoli and Milan may have passed Atalanta in the virtual standings before Sunday morning, but the point still stands that there should be growing excitement that Atalanta can still maintain its early dominance atop the table.
Its always fun to see the Lombardian teams duking it out in Serie A, and Sunday will be no different. Standing in La Dea’s path is another recent newcomer to Serie A, Cremonese. Last year’s Serie B winners, in large part thanks to the efforts of Marco Carnesecchi (now back with Cremonese) and Caleb Okoli, proceedings have not gone swimmingly so far for the Grigiorossi. Having earned only a single point in the league, albeit with a difficult early schedule, Cremonese has its work cut out in the early going to work its way into the safety zone.
Oppositely for Atalanta it may be Gian Piero Gasperini’s first true test against a squad that may feel equally comfortable sitting back in defense. Atalanta and Cremonese have very similar pressing, passing, and possession metrics in the early going – granted with wildly different results. So is this the first match in which we see Atalanta attempt to break out and go on the assault?
Cremonese Player to Watch- David Okereke
After spending last season with Venezia, the Nigerian was able to find another landing spot in Serie A. And rightfully so. He’s a bright player and can be impactful and dangerous on the break, if not accounted for. With two goals so far this season, he makes a competent striking partnership with teammate Cyriel Dessers, and has to be marked immediately when Cremonese are able to move up the pitch on the break.
Atalanta Passione’s Preferred Starting XI
Gian Piero Gasperini continues to stifle with his choice of tactics. Two weeks ago, I predicted a back four, he starts with a back three. Last week, I predicted a back three, and of course he starts with a back four. Fortunately there’s no money on the line with these selections, as I don’t have a whole lot of confidence that we’ll see a back four – but given the success it had last week against Monza, it is worth trying again.
There are no major surprises at the back. Merih Demiral and Rafael Toloi demonstrated how effective of a combo they can be, but I also would not be surprised to see Caleb Okoli get a starter’s nod after taking last week off. On the wings, Brandon Soppy, in my estimation, has already cemented himself in as a lock to start (on either side), and its just up to Gasperini to find his flank partner. Nadir Zortea has not received a start yet, and Cremonese may be the perfect match for him to get his feet wet.
Also I think its time for the Giorgio Scalvini midfield experience to take launch. Scalvini finally made an appearance against Monza, and was a pest all over the pitch. Heck he almost scored a goal, nearly forcing Monza’s keeper into an unforgivable handling error inside his own box. Its time to unleash Scalvini to pick up all the loose change in the midfield.
Up front is where things start to get a little challenging. The two locks seem to be Rasmus Hojlund (injuries to the Colombians permitting) and Ademola Lookman. But the other three positions can be anyone’s guess. I standby Ruslan Malinovskyi being more effective deeper back, and I would love to see him play alongside Teun Koopmeiners in the middle. Both can take turns making runs, which they are both effective doing, and then it allows the speedy Ederson to drop back in support need be. I think the trio of Malinovskyi, Koopmeiners, and Ederson can be lethal in the right setup. Its just getting them the minutes together to figure out the best way they all compliment each other.
Biggest Key to Victory
Force Mistakes High Up the Pitch– I am probably unfairly picking on Vlad Chiriches with this one, but he is truly the king of dumb errors, and I may be a bit bitter about Atalanta not taking advantage of a plethora of Sassuolo mistakes last winter. Regardless the point still stands. Against Monza Atalanta did a good job forcing average ballhandling defenseman into numerous mistakes, but the attack wasn’t able to turn many of these opportunities into excellent chances. Given that Cremonese will likely sit deeper than Monza did, Atalanta cannot let any mistake go unpunished. I’m not asking for goals each time there’s an errant pass, but a lightning quick counter led by the Lookman-Hojlund line would be an excellent consolation prize.
Number of the week: minus 6: This is how much younger Atalanta has gotten season over season. Taking the weighted average age of the squad from last year compared to who has played this year, Atalanta’s team age has dropped from 28 to 22! Not hard to do when so many minutes are being given to Hojlund, Okoli, and Soppy. Regardless the youth movement is real, and with the perfect dose of veteran leadership (Toloi, de Roon, Malinovskyi, Pasalic) to reign in the young guns – it could permit the youngsters to flourish even quicker than anticipated.
After Sunday, Atalanta will have had the fortune of playing the three sides currently sitting in the drop zone. Now I doubt Sampdoria remains there by the end of the year, but I do love Atalanta not dropping points to teams that it should be beating so far. Beating Cremonese would be another feather in the cap for the team not faltering or losing focus at the worst times. All points Atalanta can garner before the matchups with the bigger guns helps to take the pressure off of Atalanta’s shoulders and put it on its direct opponents. Its still too early to determine a realistic goal for Atalanta this year, but earning three points in winnable games can keep us pondering on the true ceiling of this relatively unknown squad. I’m loving it, so let’s keep enjoying the ride! As always, Forza Dea!!!
I think having the youngsters starting will be best. I opt Zortea and most effectively Soppy and Hojlund as they have proved themselves enough and are good for it!!!!! Atalanta let’s move!!