Watching Atalanta matches has been an adjustment this year, but as long as the adjustment continues to come with positive results against strong opponents you can count me in! Sunday in Bergamo was another exemplary defensive performance that highlighted the Atalanta’s new bend-don’t-break setup. Fiorentina may have possessed the ball for 62% of the match, but it was a key string of Dea dominance early in the second half that provided all the offense Gian Piero Gasperini’s side needed.
Luis Muriel has not offered much this year, but his relentless pursuit of attacking the net helped him beat the ever-present Luis Martinez Quarta and provide a picture perfect pass to Ademola Lookman, who buried his wide-open chance. There were a few more opportunities for Atalanta to tack on a second goal, but the big story of the second half was seeing Dea close out the match defensively. Fiorentina was able to test Marco Sportiello a few times, but it is encouraging that Fiorentina’s best chance was a dangerous headed clearance by Atalanta’s own Merih Demiral.
Sunday’s defensive performance against Fiorentina’s competent offense was night and day compared to the display put on versus Roma. La Dea have yet to trail this season, and its justified considering the squad has only surrendered three goals on the young season. As the counterattack continues to improve, as it did today, and Atalanta is able to translate their good defense into good opportunities, it should continue to legitimize Atalanta’s tactical switch. Sunday was again affirmation that Atalanta’s new style isn’t a flash in the pan. Three points to start off this brutal stretch of matches is exciting, and should have all Dea fans anxiously waiting for what can come next!
Atalanta Passione Match Ratings
Marco Sportiello: 6.5 – He made all the saves he needed, but one spill of an easy Riccardo Saponara shot was almost his downfall.
Rafael Toloi: 7 – A strong defensive performance that was cut short by a leg injury. Sometimes it feels better to ask when rather than if regarding Toloi injuries, so let’s hope this one isn’t too serious.
Caleb Okoli: 7 – Christian Kouame is a hassle to mark in the middle, but Okoli stood strong and made sure that Kouame couldn’t sneak by him all night.
Giorgio Scalvini: 7 – He got booked early if a yellow card, but the teenager was remarkable post yellow in playing a disciplined effective match – ensuring he didn’t get booked again.
Hans Hateboer: 7 – The Dutchman had a spring in his step on Sunday, putting in a consistent offensive and defensive performance.
Brandon Soppy: 5.5 – A rough game for the youngster, topped off by a half-hearted defensive lunge in the second half that permitted Venuti to spring free and start an attack.
Marten de Roon: 7 – Consistent and dependable as ever. He had an extra crunch in the midfield today that proved key in stopping Fiorentina attacks, and starting Atalanta ones.
Teun Koopmeiners: 7 – He came alive in the second half, and continues to be the metronome of Atalanta’s attack.
Ederson: 6 – An ineffective performance from the midfielder, whose most notable plays came when he dropped deeper back.
Ademola Lookman: 7 – His counterattack dribbles were on point, and of course he timed his goal run perfectly.
Luis Muriel: 7 – His hard work set up the goal, and he did a good job winning long balls in front of LMQ.
Mario Pasalic: 6.5 – The match turned around when he came on, more so for his steadying presence up front rather than offensive dynamism.
Joakim Maehle: 7 – A serious upgrade over Soppy, who had his triangle game working well with Koopmeiners and Muriel.
Merih Demiral: 6.5 – It almost all came apart when he nearly blasted a header past Marco Sportiello, but he got lucky with his lack of precision finishing.
Ruslan Malinovskyi: 6 – It was a puzzling decision to bring him in for Lookman who was running around unchecked up front. Fortunately the Ukrainian didn’t have too much to do.
Rasmus Hojlund: 7 – His never-ending hustle is contagious, and his brilliant corner flag keep-away ball at the end was a brilliant way to help finish off the match.
Atalanta Passione Man of the Match – Luis Muriel
Confidence could not have been high for Muriel this season, but he came through in a big way for a team needing offense. He didn’t have too many chance to directly contribute to a goal, but his trickery and motor helped the team chug along to earn a deserved goal. Its still amazing how Muriel is able to keep his balance and consistently keep deflected balls controlled at his feet. It may be his biggest strength, and it contributed to Sunday’s win in a big way.
Other Match Odds and Ends
Atalanta xG: 1.14 | Fiorentina xG: 0.85 – Fiorentina increased its tally through quantity over quality, but the computerized scoring seems fair this time around. Lookman’s 0.59 xG finish sure felt like a tap-in, but at least he treated it as such with his keen finish.
Fiorentina may have had 16 total shots, but only one of those shots registered at least 0.10 xG (Jovic’s 0.15 xG chance in the 90th minute). Even this shot felt tamer than that (and probably gets adjusted once the match is reviewed), and it is another testament to Atalanta’s stellar defense and forcing opposition into tepid chances.
Gasperini almost ran out of luck in the second half. With 15 minutes left, he had used all his substitutions, and Okoli, Maehle, and Hateboer went down for extended periods after the substitutions were made. I for sure thought Okoli was done, but he battled through. I question why Gasperini didn’t save one sub for later, especially given how well Lookman was playing before he came off. He was Atalanta’s safety net in beating Fiorentina’s press, and of course keeping him on could have helped to prevent disaster if Okoli’s injury was more serious. Ultimately Gasperini’s gamble played off, I just wish he played that one a bit different!
Teun Koopmeiners and Marten de Roon have played every minute for Atalanta. They have become the engine of this rebuilt team, and I imagine the team will go as far as the two Dutchman carry it.
After eight matches Atalanta still finds itself in first place. The team continues to amaze, and each week it shows us something different. Most notably was the turnaround from two weeks ago against Roma. In both matches Atalanta barely possessed the ball, and was able to make the most of the few scoring opportunities it got.
However this time out against Fiorentina, the defense sewed up all the gaping holes present against Roma and forced Vincenzo Italiano’s side into a steady dose of outside the box shots. Now Fiorentina’s offense may not be up to par with Roma’s, but it is still strong, and we should all be thrilled with the defensive strides the squad made over the international break. Next week Atalanta may have to go up against a counterattack style similar to Roma’s, so that will just be the next test in this tactical transformation. But sign me up for the show, I’m always ready for what’s next in store with this team. A great team victory today, and as always Forza Dea!
