Almost as fast as I wrote yesterday that it didn’t feel like Atalanta was on a three game losing streak entering Wednesday’s contest, the dread entered on what it would feel like for Atalanta to lose four consecutive matches since 2016. Fortunately we don’t have to have that deep discussion, as a last minute tap-in from Mario Pasalic saved Atalanta a point in the club’s first game of 2023.
But perhaps Atalanta does need to have that difficult discussion? Maybe its too early to raise the red flag after one game after a 50 day hiatus, but I don’t think its unreasonable to have a yellow or orange flag waiting in the wings. We’ll remember this day by the point saved, but Atalanta did itself absolutely no favors in putting itself in a position that required a furious comeback.
Its open season when it comes to casting out the blame. Tenacity, awareness, fundamentals, tactics, and squad selection were all questionable at best. But in the end it was Atalanta’s old friend tenacity that saved it, as the only two players that played as if they had fire in their belly – Rasmus Hojlund and Teun Koopmeiners – did just enough to get Atalanta level. It’ll take a tenacious team, and not just a spirited individual here and there, to get Atalanta back to where we expect them to perform. So for now, let’s chalk this one as a wake-up call and be glad that there was something positive to take from it in the process.
Three Match Takeaways
One – I wrote in the match preview how I was ready to hand the keys over to some of the younger players on the team, and ride with them. We got a taste of a younger Atalanta, with some expected faces and one unexpected face. First, Rasmus Hojlund proves he needs to be the starter. His goal off his weak foot is one that Duvan Zapata doesn’t have the explosive step to pull-off anymore. Besides, Hojlund’s endless hustle is irreplaceable, and he already looks lightyears better in his hold-up play than he did at the beginning of the season.
On the opposite side, Atalanta got its second taste of what life is like with Matteo Ruggeri on the left wing. As delicate as his touch may be, he just doesn’t look convincing as a wingback. He doesn’t have the pace to beat a league filled with quick right backs; and while pace isn’t everything, one should expect at least a baseline of athleticism from a wing player. I’m convinced he doesn’t have it. At 20 its unlikely he improves in this regard, and if he is to have a home in the top flight, I reckon it should be as a center back. It makes one wonder what Brandon Soppy could have done in this match, and why he wasn’t featured.
Two- This didn’t feel like a game that Atalanta accumulated 2.16 (to Spezia’s 1.51) expected goals; we can thank Mario Pasalic and Koopmeiners for increasing that tally by 0.75 at the end of the match. Let’s not forget that Atalanta launched 19 shots, 16 inside the box. While it wasn’t pretty a, Koopmeiners-led attack was able to trudge its way to an eventual respectable offensive showing.
Defensively; however, is a completely different story. Normally one would be happy outshooting the opposition 19-7. Yet when Spezia is able to convert on its two clear cut chances, we leave disappointed that the defending woes are what prevented Atalanta from earning a victory. Two opportunities with greater than a 50% chance of being converted! Its shambolic defending both as a unit and individually. Now Rafael Toloi gets to wear the badge of permitting the least prolific forward in Serie A to score his first goal of the season. Atalanta’s early season success started with a good defensive backbone, which has been conspicuously absent since October. I’m not asking Atalanta to play hyper defensively, but this team doesn’t have the firepower to simply outscore opponents at will – a little bit more balance is needed.
Three- The midfield performance put on by Marten de Roon and Ederson was one of the weakest of the season. Ederson’s minimal conviction led to Spezia’s second goal, and de Roon merely seemed pedestrian. It’s a far cry from Ederson’s best performance, where he was recently one of Atalanta’s best players. Chalk it up to a bad day at the office, perhaps, but it is funny how this team lives and dies by midfield performance – as hard as it may be to define it sometimes.
Nick’s Match Ratings
Marco Sportiello – 5.5: Still grading him poorly on his weak effort on Ethan Ampadu’s annulled goal. If that goal stands, this match review looks a lot different.
Rafael Toloi – 5.5
Jose Luis Palomino – 5.5
Giorgio Scalvini – 6
Joakim Maehle – 5.5: He looks a different player on the left side versus the right. I much prefer him coming in from the left, as he seems to work better off the main attacker (whether it be Ademola Lookman or Luis Muriel).
Matteo Ruggeri – 5.5
Marten de Roon – 6
Ederson – 5
Teun Koopmeiners – 7.5: He just has a way to be in on the action.
Ademola Lookman – 5.5
Duvan Zapata – 6
Rasmus Hojlund – 7.5: It just feels like he’s moments away from breaking out big time.
Luis Muriel – 6
Davide Zappacosta – 6
Mario Pasalic – 7: Pasalic has now scored five times versus Spezia. Surely Gasperini should have brought him on earlier?!
Nick’s Man of the Match – Rasmus Hojlund
Beyond scoring a goal that no one else on the team is capable of scoring, he did his upmost to keep Jakub Kiwior busy and on the ropes all match. Hojlund only took three shots. All shots weren’t high probability, but he made them appear like better scoring chances purely because of his ability to separate and fire a shot quickly. He needs the be the starter going forward, even if we have to live with some of the growing pains that are always present with a teenager.
It sounds crazy, but we’re still only 16 games into the season. Plenty of time to turn this ship back in the right direction. As both unfortunate and then fortunate as this match was – it should help level-set the squad (and us as fans) as to what needs to be done going forward.
There’s some obvious ones, like: maximize Hojlund’s minutes, minimize Ruggeri’s minutes, and play Koopmeiners when and wherever you can. Though, some latent questions still linger beneath the surface that sixteen matches hasn’t solved for us yet, like: how much time do we give Palomino to get into match shape and sharpness? Do we have enough cover at central midfield? Is there a better solution than Brandon Soppy on the wing?
Unfortunately a lot of these questions remained unanswered from the Spezia match, but there’s also the likelihood that we’re reading far too much into one match. We were starved of Atalanta football for so long, I guess we’d latch onto any nugget we get and overanalyze it to death. So maybe a bit of reserved caution is the best solution for now. Be happy with clawing back a point, be unhappy for ever being in a situation to claw like that, but reserve hope that things will look brighter and better against Bologna. We still got this, as always Forza Dea!
