So I had a dream last night that thrust me in front of the couch to watch Atalanta take on Fiorentina. God knows why, and I swear there’s no hyperbole here! Atalanta went up early, and then Matteo Pessina lost possession and then stupidly pulled a Viola player down as the last man. Red card, and sent off! In anger I stopped watching, only to tune in about 50 minutes later to see Atalanta doubled its advantage.
Great, A+ dream so far.
Then I checked Fotmob.com one last time to ensure that Atalanta took care of business, only to check the shot chart to see three goals on one net, and two on the other! I was so furious to see Atalanta let Fiorentina back into the match; and that La Dea could be on the losing end of this fake game. Much to my enjoyment after peaking at the final score I saw Atalanta was the team with three goals, and the good dream, almost turned nightmare turned into a great dream. Why Matteo Pessina was playing holding midfield is beyond me, but hey – what are dreams for?
What does this have to do with anything?! Essentially nothing, but in one week’s time when Atalanta and Fiorentina square off…. But interestingly the dream does tie into a common theme that comes with Atalanta’s high leverage brand of football. Living on the edge.
Atalanta’s victory over Cremonese will rightly be remembered by the trident coming in and taking care of business. But the final scoreline and the expected goal tally doesn’t do justice to how close Atalanta still was to drawing against its bottom of the table opponents. Right after Rasmus Hojlund missed his sitter, Cremonese had two chances in close succession in stoppage time that would have had the whole of Bergamo ripping its hair out.
Fortunately it didn’t happen that way, but this game served as a sobering reminder as to what can go down when Gian Piero Gasperini ignores compactness (and oftentimes brutal football) for offensive overdrive. Atalanta often wins these foot races, but it may come with some cursing out of defenders along the way.
Easter Matches
With Easter this weekend, the annual Serie A tradition of no Sunday matches gives Calcio fans a clean look at the table before the weekend ends. Atalanta’s match against Bologna is difficult, but there are also challenging matches for Atalanta’s rivals. Roma takes on Torino in Turin, and Juventus and Lazio square off in the capital.
The Lazio-Juventus match is the most interesting. Somehow Lazio finds itself in second place, and Juventus is breathing down Atalanta’s back only four points in the rear. On roster comparison alone, Lazio should have been Atalanta’s “easiest” rival to catch for Champion’s League spots, but La Dea would probably prefer more of a cushion over Juventus at this point. With the unravelling of Inter, and Roma being a pure wildcard, there still seems to be a decent route for Atalanta to climb into the Champion’s League positions.
La Dea come into this week with a 32% chance to make the top European tournament, but need some help with rival implosions. Its quite possible Inter at least starts to dangle an olive branch for Atalanta. Because with rivals calling, guaranteeing Champion’s League football next season may be the best way…
The Rasmus Hojlund Saga
Everyone’s favorite wealthy punching bag is out after its new prized possession. Chelsea’s unlimited pockets are now looking to lure the Dane away from Bergamo, and while we shouldn’t be surprised that this would eventually happen – it feels a bit early for a variety of reasons. Personally I don’t think Hojlund should spend his formative development years caught up in the drama that is Chelsea. A coaching carousel wouldn’t give him the proper consistency to get a clear and focused message from a unified voice, and he would be vying for playing time with a star studded roster that always plays less than the sum of its parts.
And let’s not forget the recent failings of Chelsea’s striker signings. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Timo Werner, Romelu Lukaku all played far below expectations, and I don’t want Hojlund walking into a dumpster fire. There’s a high chance that he’s so good he can overcome all the negativity that would surround him, but I hope he holds out for something else. But with a 65M price tag, and the ability to 4x an investment after one season – the Percassis may not want to wait too long. Selfishly, let’s hope he stays at least one more year!
Koopmeiners Remains Sidelined
Atalanta’s other worldclass player continues to be absent from the team selection sheet, and Teun Koopmeiners still won’t be fit to take on Bologna this weekend. Fortunately the ever-present Marten de Roon and Ederson have filled in well. Having Koopmeiners back is the shot in the arm Atalanta needs. Not only for midfield depth at Atalanta’s thinnest position, but it also gives Gasperini the added flexibility to play a three man midfield. Atalanta will still have the midfield presence to ensure the game doesn’t get away from them against Bologna, but having Koopmeiners back against the level-10 press from Fiorentina will be needed.
The Ruggeri-Boga Left Flank
Its likely that Jeremie Boga brings the best out in most wingbacks paired on the same side as him, but Matteo Ruggeri looks to be in lockstep with the Ivorian. No Atalanta player completed more passes (78 to Scalvini’s 54), or progressed the ball more than Ruggeri against Cremonese, and the lefty’s surefootedness in possession gives Boga the partner to play off his dekes and dribbles. It should be fun to see what the duo can replicate against the hyper offensive Bologna fullback Stefan Posch this Saturday.
I hope you all enjoyed this different twist of a weekly writeup. As I try new article styles to see what works, what’s fun to write, and what doesn’t hit, just let me know what is enjoyable for you – dear reader. Thanks for reading, and let’s get pumped for this weekend’s big match! As always, Forza Dea!
