Date: February 4, 2023
Time: 20:45 CET | 14:45 EST
A Quick Tale of the Tape
Sassuolo: 16th | 20 points | -8 GD | -1.4 xGD
Atalanta: 4th | 38 points | 16 GD | +11.2 xGD
Atalanta will be hungry after suffering defeat for the first time in 2023 against Inter midweek in the Coppa Italia quarterfinals. Glass half full – perhaps it is for the best that Atalanta so it can focus on one competition with a thinner than recent seasons squad, and ensure full strength lineups are available essentially all the time barring injury. And with no rest for that potentially weary and out-of-midweek-game-practice squad, Atalanta take on a puzzling Sassuolo side.
This game would have felt like a gimme match only one week ago. Sassuolo stunned Serie A, shipping five goals past a Milan side in freefall; now, this match feels much less cut and dry than it did two weeks ago. Oddly that dominant performance cut was completely out of the norm for this season’s Neroverdi. For the first time in years Sassuolo has been flirting with the relegation zone, and while the squad should be and likely will be safe, its mini retool hasn’t gone as swimmingly as Alessio Dionisi would have hoped for in his second year. His depth gets even thinner with Junior Traore moving to the Premier League and the Greek eye-chart Giorgos Kyriakopoulos moving in-province over to Bologna.
Still the pulse of the side is alive and well. The team will live and die with Domenico Berardi, who has still managed to put away four goals and three assists despite player less than half a season to date. Additionally, the ever-present danger from Armand Lauriente on his opposite side will ensure that Atalanta need to focus its defense on both flanks.
Speaking of defense. Sassuolo tends to have very little of it when squaring off against Atalanta! In recent years Atalanta pulled off a six consecutive match streak of scoring at least three goals (including a few five and six goal efforts). While the 2-1 win Atalanta had in the autumn was less comprehensive, it was still one of Atalanta’s best offense performance; one that a revamped offense should look to outperform. Sassuolo hasn’t kept a clean sheet since October, and only five squads have permitted more expected goals than the Neroverdi. This has the makings of an old fashion Atalanta match; I expect goals!
Nick’s Predicted Lineup
I have given up hope that Merih Demiral is still in Gian Piero Gasperini’s good graces, and there’s no reason to think that the Turk will get his first start of 2023 on Saturday. Have no fear, djear reader, as Berat Djimsiti has actually performed quite admirably playing in the middle of the back three. Andrea Pinamonti’s absence means that Demiral isn’t need to ruffle up a striker’s feathers, so Gregoire Defrel should be an easier customer for the Albanian to handle – not to mention the added ball security in the backline.
The big anticipation will be to see how Jeremie Boga fares against his former squad. Its probable he starts, and the new Atalanta trident could do serious damage against a sometimes porous Sassuolo backline. Its fun trying to predict how the front three will distribute up scoring and assisting. For now let’s just hope that Tuesday’s shutout adds fuel to the offensive fire.
Atalanta Player to Watch – Berat Djimsiti
Djimsiti was thrusted into starting duty pretty quick the last couple of weeks, and fortunately for the back line, he has come up good. It was a swift turnaround for the Albanian, who looked on the way out the door – potentially – this winter. But with an injury to Jose Palomino and Merih Demiral’s puzzling situation, Djimsiti almost instantly became third man in the rotation.
With Giorgio Scalvini playing so well at left centerback, Djimsiti has had to slide over to the middle. A position he has played, if sparingly, in the past, Gasperini would ideally like someone a bit more aggressive in the middle; however, Djimsiti does have a solid calming presence in the back that can help to offset the chaos that frequently surrounds the defense. Saturday’s matchup should have him lining up against Gregoire “Twinkle Toes” Defrel. A much less physical assignment than he had against Romelu Lukaku, Djimsiti should still be able to marshal in the middle admirably.
Sassuolo’s excellent display against Milan suddenly made this match feel a little more precarious; but it shouldn’t change the manner in how Atalanta plays it match. Midweek proved what can happen to Atalanta when it goes into a shell and plays timidly. You can’t imagine doing that to an inferior opponent than Inter, especially one that Atalanta is favored to beat, and one that Atalanta’s loves scoring against.
Goals may, and should come, from both sides; but the calculus still is drive the offense. Fun fact, the Sassuolo match delivered Atalanta’s highest non-penalty expected goal mark of the season (2.5 xG). Yes, even more than Salernitana! And that was without the offense we’ve grown to love so quickly this January. Who knows what could happen with a little more explosion up front, and a little less apprehension all over the pitch? Fireworks, I hope; so, let’s go make it happen! As always, Forza Dea!
