The match was set up on a silver platter for Atalanta. Napoli’s platinum player, Kvicha Kravatskhelia, was ruled out with a back injury, which would have seemingly leveled the playing field for Atalanta to a reasonable chance at not just one point, but three. However, if wasn’t meant to be as Napoli’s other star attacker Victor Osimhen did all the necessary work for Napoli in the first half to score one goal and create other – which ended up being enough for the Partenopei.
Atalanta wasn’t without its chances, and some more clinical finishing may have been enough for Dea to earn a vital point. A robust seventeen shots suggest that Atalanta was rather wasteful in its buildup play. Compare that to Napoli’s seven shots, and it hearkens us back to the old adage that quality is always better than quantity.
Now the reason Napol’s minimal chances were so effective had more to do with momentary lapses in efficacy from Atalanta’s defense than pure quality from Napoli. Failure to close in on Piotr Zielinski on the first corner kick, simultaneously coupled with poor marking on Napoli’s striker Victor Osimhen led to an uncontested goal from start to finish. Combine that with Demiral’s motor not matching that of Osimhen that led to Eljif Elmas’s second goal, and it erased everything Atalanta had done so well up to that point in the first half.
While in the second half the boys put forth a spirited effort, and Atalanta was close to sneaking one by Alex Meret on several occasions, it wasn’t enough and opportunities for an equalizer were too few. Given the circumstances, it would be easy to be critical of Atalanta’s perceived lack of urgency to equalize. Yet, Napoli is one of the better if not the best teams in Italy in controlling possession and always being on the front foot in an attempt to score. This ultimately stunted Atalanta’s comeback attempt, and really there’s not a whole lot of blame to go around when you cannot devote your full attention just to scoring. In the end Napoli closed out the game in a manner in which good teams do. On a different day Atalanta may have come away with points, so there should be no fault in this performance; although it still may sting in the moment.
Three Key Takeaways from the Match
1- For as much as Mike Grella may have griped on CBS Sports postgame that Gian Piero Gasperini hasn’t found a true starting lineup, he is woefully mistaken and today was a good affirmation of that. The ascent of Mario Pasalic and Ederson in central midfield, ducking and diving all around the pitch in both offense and defense is a nice sight. I still like a deeper attacking midfielder to make the tactic feel more like a midfield three than a midfield two – and both Pasalic and Ederson will likely be successful riding next to Teun Koopmeiners and Marten de Roon. Ederson particularly flashed for me in this match, and I thought it was his best performance since his debut against Hellas Verona. When permitted to roam a bit more freely between attack and defense his athleticism and anticipation is on full display.
2- Atalanta may have missed what was deemed four “big chances,” but the two big chances that Napoli was able to create were calmly put away by their strikers. While credit should go to Elmas and Osimhen for their finishes, equally as much blame can go to Merih Demiral and Hans Hateboer for their brief moments of poor defending. I’m sure this is confirmation bias speaking, but it always feels like when Atalanta’s defense makes mistakes it leads to tap-ins for the opponent. Case in point is Osimhen’s goal that had an xG value of 0.49. Given the nature of headers, it’s obscenely rare for any headed chance to have such a high probability of being converted. So to see Osimhen’s chance come down to a coin toss is comical in a way, but serious questions have to be asked of both Hateboer and Demiral in that poor stretch that saw both of them culpable for both goals. Demiral, otherwise, played well and you likely give him a pass. But Hateboer? It feels like he does just enough to justify giving him more chances to prove that he got his mojo back.
3- Today was also a day for Atalanta’s teenagers. Once played like he was nineteen, while the other played like he was twenty-nine. It doesn’t take a master tactician to deduce that Giorgio Scalvini was the better of him and Rasmus Hojlund. He took Hirving Lozano out of the match, leaving room for Joakim Maehle to go forward – which he did magnificently. Hojlund, on the other hand, showed his youth and some things that he still has to work on. His hustle is undeniable, but he certainly is not yet the most ambidextrous center forward, and he let his emotions get the better of him a few times. Although seeing both teenagers in the mix in the season’s biggest match to date demonstrates the talents we have on our hands, and what a bit more seasoning and experience could do for their overall games (though Scalvini is nearly there already!)
Nick’s Match Ratings
Juan Musso: 6.5
Rafael Toloi: 7 – His task became easier without Kvara on the pitch, but along with Scalvini they both ensured that Napoli’s offense had to come through the middle of the pitch.
Merih Demiral: 5.5 – All his good work before minute twenty and after minute forty is discounted from his rough patch in the middle of the first half.
Giorgio Scalvini: 7
Hans Hateboer: 5.5
Joakim Maehle: 7.5 – No one was more threatening offensively, and he has continued his excellent stretch of matches ever since he was inserted back into the starting lineup. The way in which he turned Kim Minjae and nearly got himself a goal was a thing of beauty.
Mario Pasalic: 7
Ederson: 7.5 – Interestingly Ederson was the one dropping back deep to receive the ball from Juan Musso during the buildup in the second half. I wonder if Gasperini has fully abandoned the trequarista project, and will continue to use him in a similar role.
Teun Koopmeiners: 7
Ademola Lookman: 7 – Back on the scoresheet again for the Nigerian with a perfectly placed penalty. He now has as many goals in thirteen matches this year (six) as he did all of last year with Leicester City in twenty six matches.
Rasmus Hojlund: 6
Duvan Zapata: 6 – He felt wasted hanging around in the half spaces instead of trying to duke it out with Kim and Juan Jesus.
Ruslan Malinovskyi: 6
Marten de Roon: 6
Jeremie Boga: 6
Brandon Soppy: n/a
Nick’s Man of the Match – Joakim Maehle
It has taken the Dane awhile to get going in Atalanta black and blue, but it seems like he has finally turned a corner. With five straight quality starts under his belt, Saturday’s performance against Napoli was the best of the crop. He was Atalanta’s fuse offensively, and he nearly singlehandedly tied the game with a brilliant run and shot. His 77 touches was second to Rafael Toloi’s 79, although Maehle’s tended to come in far more inviting and dangerous offensive areas.
I don’t think it is a surprise that much of Atalanta’s recent offense has been created on the left hand side of the pitch. Normally with Luis Muriel, Ademola Lookman, and Teun Koopmeiners creating from the left good things will happen. However, Maehle’s contribution cannot be overlooked, and I hope his good run of form can turn into a season’s long demonstration of improvement.
For those playing the expected goal game at home, maybe you can take solace in the fact that Atalanta won the moral victory match by a count of 2.29 to 1.35. Take away the penalty, and Atalanta still comes out ahead. While the xG count doesn’t amount to a hill of beans in the end, it at least demonstrates that Atalanta’s overall game and plan of attack can have the boys competing with the top of the table all season long. There’s no “sky is falling” narratives after this match, and its still a good performance to take into Lecce midweek and then even Inter next Sunday.
The Atalanta of early season and the Atalanta of season’s past are slowly starting to fuse together, forming a team that is layered with balance. That’s an exciting prospect, and hopefully one that can continue to have us fighting for the Top 4 for the remainder of the season. Losing on Saturday is a shame, but if we can use this performance that by happenstance garnered 0 points as a stepping stone for more future points, I’ll take that the long run value over short term gain! Let’s just hope it is a building block performance, and as always – Forza Dea!
