I’ve never seen “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” but if someone asked me to explain the movie in football terms, I could still easily point the curious mind to this roll of Atalanta (of course without any cougar relationship scenarios!) 15 goals in the last five halves of football is monstrous, and the mojo kept on flowing Thursday afternoon against Spezia.
The team is lithe, electric, and fun again. Five goals to the good against Spezia certainly suggests that Sunday’s barrage against Salernitana wasn’t an isolated incident, and in fact one could argue that the output was even better against Spezia. Sadly expected goal tallies are not calculated in the Coppa Italia, but Atalanta was still able to create more big chance opportunities (six versus four). Ultimately I would not be surprised if Atalanta’s expected goal output in this match was similar or even greater than the 2.95 xG compiled against Salernitana (without the penalties too!).
While the goals were fun, the most encouraging facet of the match was Atalanta’s ability to ice the game and give Spezia no opportunity to sneak through and earn an unjustified draw or win. The score line flatters Atalanta. Yet remember, it was only 3-2 at halftime and a gunslinging shootout could have easily been in on in the second half. Instead Atalanta clamped down. Marten de Roon came on to help calm the traffic in the midfield, and both Jose Luis Palomino and Berat Djimsiti played a lot cleaner and less frantic. The scoring opportunities were still there, but became coupled with an iron locked defense. It may have been the best half of football so far in 2023, and should act as a nice blueprint heading into this weekend’s match against Juventus.
Three Key Takeaways
One- The trident was slightly varied, but the scoring didn’t stop when both Jeremie Boga and Ademola Lookman played on the wings. Duvan Zapata played his role of distributor perfectly, and good things continue to happen when defenses aren’t able to hone in one or two isolated offensive individuals. Two goals, two assists, and a hockey assist were dished out by the attack that I was a bit surprised to see take the pitch together. With Juventus looming on Sunday, surely Gian Piero Gasperini has to continue on with his #10 and #11 even after putting in lofty minutes against Spezia.
Two- Being critical after a seemingly comprehensive victory is a little bit of a Debbie Downer for me, but the relative ease that Spezia was able to score two goals needs to be addressed. For the second straight match against Spezia, Ederson got bullied around – thanks to his less than astute awareness in letting Albin Ekdal streak forward on a pretty basic give-and-go move. Additionally, Hans Hateboer missed his mark on the outside that ultimately led to Simone Verdi’s second goal. Of course we’re all accustomed to the chances Atalanta concede when its playing such an aggressive offense, but its more frustrating when individual errors help lead to those chances. No harm, no foul thanks to the victory, but Ederson especially needs to be on point in the middle, since all the pressure will be on him against Juventus.
Three- Rasmus Hojlund continues to impress – shocker! Not only did he almost destroy the cross bar, but he was inches away from a nestled chip goal, and completed a lovely flick-on header that released Nadir Zortea into acres of space. He was only dispossessed once leading the line for the last thirty minutes of the match. There’s no plateau in sight right now with his development, its pure incline!
Nick’s Match Ratings
Juan Musso: 6
Giorgio Scalvini: 6.5 – Need to monitor his injury, but hopefully his departure was precautionary.
Jose Luis Palomino: 7 – Nzola had little space to do anything in the second half.
Berat Djimsiti: 7
Hans Hateboer: 7
Joakim Maehle: 7 – He had an energy and desire today that is infrequent in his game. A key sliding tackle and ball recovery stood out as a play I never thought he would make.
Teun Koopmeiners: 7
Ederson: 6 – An early yellow card plus defensive frailties make him the worst performer of the lot. However, he did manage to complete 5 of his 5 long balls, as his ball retention and distribution continues to be a strength.
Jeremie Boga: 7
Ademola Lookman: 7.5
Duvan Zapata: 7.5 – He was inches away from a goal that could’ve done wonders for his confidence. The array of back heels and tricks he pulled out of the bag, however, was impressive.
Marten de Roon: 7
Rafael Toloi: 7
Nadir Zortea: 6.5
Rasmus Hojlund: 7.5
Luis Muriel: 7 – The Colombian picked up where Boga left off and was scooting around the pitch for fun. He also did well tracking back and doing a bit of dirty work in the middle of the pitch.
Nick’s Man of the Match – Duvan Zapata
If this is his last game at Atalanta (I hope not!) at least he left with a strong performance. He was a crossbar away from a goal, but he inserted himself nicely between Atalanta’s two pacey wingers. Because he frequently is expected to duke it out on long balls and run the channels, we often forget the touch and technique he can display. Things tend to click for the big Colombian when he’s in and around the box contributing, and it came out in spades today. Regarding his transfer, a 20M euro deal may be too enticing for the board to pass up, but I sure hope he has life left at Atalanta to put on when more heroic stretch of matches!
Inter now looms large in the quarter finals for Atalanta, as Atalanta take on the Milan giants in only two weeks time. That’s a quick turnaround in Coppa Italia timekeeping, but probably a good thing for Atalanta as it looks to keep this impressive momentum going. Nestled between Serie A matches against Sampdoria and Sassuolo, the timing is nice and Atalanta now has a bit more laxed freedom in how to dish out the lineups at the end of the month.
Whatever the lineups look like in two weeks time, let’s hope they continue to be offensive and assertive in nature, and they keep the fun train rolling down the tracks! Great win today, and as always Forza Dea!
