It may not have been an historical offensive display against the side that Atalanta has notoriously put up lofty goal numbers against; instead, it was the most convincing offensive performance Dea have put forth this year. And ten games into the season, I’ll gladly settle for an offense that may have started to find its groove.
A 2-1 scoreline isn’t the best representation of how this match unfolded, but there were very few moments in which it didn’t feel like Atalanta was in control of the match. Even in the first half we were fortunate to witness an Atalanta offense of old that calculatingly dominated position, and was a bit unlucky to only put away one goal in the first half. The Luis Muriel, Joakim Maehle, Mario Pasalic offensive trio was humming early on, taking advantage of an isolated Jeremy Toljan who was offered little assistance in defense from his teenager winger partner Luca D’Andrea. Gian Piero Gasperini smartly exploited this overload, which eventually opened up the whole field for Atalanta’s offense to cook.
Regardless of how well the offense clicked, it still took 46 minutes for Atalanta to find the back of the net. And even though all the offense had been flowing from the left, players on the right were the ones that ultimately found the scoresheet. Two smart passes from Brandon Soppy set up teammates Mario Pasalic and Ademola Lookman for relatively straight forward goals.
And that was all Dea needed. The defense clamped down like it couldn’t last week against Udinese, permitting Sassuolo only seven second half shots (despite the Neroverdi’s dominance in possession) – with only two of those boxes coming from inside the eighteen yard box. As good as the offense was in the first half, the defense was equally spectacular in the final third of the match. Its difficult to pick a standout among the back three of Caleb Okoli, Merih Demiral, and Giorgio Scalvini, whilst Marten de Roon put the clamp down on the midfield, turning Maxime Lopez into a recycler rather than ball distributor.
Again unlike last week, Atalanta was able to take its stout defense and turn it into actual offense. Rasmus Hojlund and his never-ending hustle was unfortunate to not convert his effort into a goal, but Atalanta was encouragingly able to create far more offense and break Sassuolo’s press. Jeremie Boga may not have had the best match, but he helped to ease the apprehension of Muriel and Lookman being subbed off. His rust was evident, but his presence is defense in its own right, and forces the opposition to take a collective pause. It could continue to be a useful weapon down the stretch when Atalanta continues to try to hold leads late in games.
If it wasn’t for the wonder strike from the Greek Eye-Chart Giorgos Kyriakopolous, Atalanta could have been looking at its sixth clean sheet out of ten. Still, the defense was resolute, and if we start to combine that with a consistent offensive display, as witnessed on Saturday, then buckle up. Early season matches are rightfully filled with patches of sloppiness as everyone figures out their new roles, and teammates. But when it starts to clicks for select players and teams, it can be a real sight of beauty. Saturday was our first real opportunity to witness what can truly be if everything clicks this year. Let’s hope for our sake that Gasperini can pocket this performance and bring it to the printing press for future unlimited use!
Atalanta Passione’s Match Ratings
Marco Sportiello: 6.5 – The keeper had no real chance on Sassuolo’s goal, and otherwise his match was relatively quiet. No real issues with his distribution was a positive.
Caleb Okoli: 7.5 – He locked down both sides of the Sassuolo’s attack, barely permitting Domenico Berardi a real chance when he came on the pitch.
Merih Demiral: 7.5 – That fact that Andrea Pinamonti’s dramatics and antics were more notable than Demiral’s actions proved just how strong the Turk was.
Giorgio Scalvini: 7.5 – He was close to faultless both offensively and defensively. My only gripe was his hesitancy on closing down D’Andrea and permitting him to put in an uncontested cross onto goal.
Brandon Soppy: 7.5 – His two assists will be etched into the box score, but his constant threat on the right hand side was the difference maker in this one.
Joakim Maehle: 7 – The Dane put in his best performance in some time, and was a man determined to score and assist. He struck up a great partnership with Muriel, that can hopefully continue to blossom.
Marten de Roon: 7.5 – His garbage man duties were on full display, and he made a nuisance of himself against Lopez and Martin Thorstvedt.
Teun Koopmeiners: 7 – The Dutchman had one of his poorer matches of the year, but that’s just because we’ve come to expect so much of him this year. It was still a great performance highlighted by his whipped cross into the box that led to the mayhem on the first goal.
Mario Pasalic: 7 – Mr. Right Place at the Right Time demonstrating his innate ability to position himself for the easiest of goals.
Luis Muriel: 7 – The Colombian took another step in the right direction, and performed exuisitely as the main offensive creator.
Ademola Lookman: 7 – Dynamite finishing from the Nigerian. His weak-footed finish was much more challenging than he let on – and he has now scored in three consecutive matches.
Ederson: 6 – The Brazilian wasn’t really able to stake a claim on the match, as he continues to find his footing in the squad.
Rasmus Hojlund: 7 – His hustle is infectious, and it nearly led to two goals. Just a little more touch, and he’s on his way to becoming a force.
Jeremi Boga: 6.5 – He was obviously rusty, but his ability to maintain possession and force the defense to retreat was still valuable down the stretch.
Nadir Zortea/Matteo Ruggeri: n/a – Good hustle and industry to keep the wings clean in the final minutes.
Atalanta Passione Man of the Match – Brandon Soppy
What a challenge to pick a man of the match this week! Okoli, Scalvini, de Roon, Demiral, and even Lookman all could’ve claimed the accolade this week. But the young Frenchman still remained the standout. Besides his two assists, his pace resulted in one yellow card, which should’ve been two (the ref was inconsistent all match in his decision making). Soppy has the innate ability to make his defenders freeze while he’s on the ball, elevating his speed and determination to get forward. Its a nice thunder and lightning approach he has going on with Joakim Maehle who is a bit more calculating. When he starts to learn how to make his charging runs inside the box, look out!
Other Match Odds and Ends
Atalanta xG: 2.56 | Sassuolo xG: 0.80 – Atalanta’s best goal differential of the year without the benefit of penalties, which shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Frankly this could have been greater, had Hojlund been able to crank out a shot quicker than he did right at the end of the match.
Mario Pasalic’s knack for creating good scoring opportunities for himself was on display again. His goal had a 60% chance of going in, and his first opportunity of the match had a 57% chance of being converted – with only a heroic save by Andrea Consigli keeping the Croat from a brace.
This was the third consecutive match that Gasperini opted to take off Luis Muriel and Ademola Lookman early in the second half. I’ve recently continuously questioned this rationale, given that this duo has generated so much danger for opposition – but the insertion of Boga instead of Malinovskyi makes this a more palatable strategy. Boga may be rusty, but the fear that he can still instill in opposition is valuable enough. Offense is sometimes the first line of defense. I don’t think the Ukrainian has it in him to run at defenses and offer a similar attacking threat (out of a counterattack position of course that is.)
The photo below has little to no context attached to it, but:
if you’re an 18 year centerback being that effective on both ends of the pitch, you certainly have a gem on your hands. Let’s hope Atalanta does all it can to keep Giorgio Scalvini in black and blue.
In a game that Atalanta was this dominant, it’s a bit surprising that La Dea actually were losing at one point, for the first time this season. Of course, this only lasted for five minutes, before the equalizer came, and then the go-ahead goal a few minutes later at the start of the second half. But most importantly after ten matches Atalanta is still undefeated. Ten games down, and points earned in every single match = doubtful anyone had that on his bingo card at the beginning of the year! The schedule doesn’t get any easier as he pace towards the World Cup break, but with the squad humming along like this, who wants a break?! Let’s keep the momentum going into another doozy of a match next week against Lazio!
