A lot has happened in the first three weeks of the season. La Dea have gone from losing to freshly promoted Frosinone to anointing Gianluca Scamacca as one of Serie A’s top strikers. Overreacting remains the name of the game across the football airwaves – so I’ll do my best to blend in the rose tinted glasses with a dose of reality that comes with a 38 game season.
Three Game Sample Sizes
Six points out of nine is a strong result with all things being equal (that’s a 76 point rate of return over a full season). Unfortunately, not all things are equal in how Atalanta arrived at its six points. One great match (Monza), one good match (Sassuolo), and one poor match (Frosinone) really should have been at a minimum, three good matches. The Monza victory helps to ease the sting of losing at Frosinone – but we still need to understand how Atalanta hasn’t at least earned seven points in its first nine – with all due respect to Frosinone.
Ultimately, Atalanta got outhustled. Its not common that a team outruns its opponent by 10 kilometers, and its equally as unlikely that a club racks up over 120 kilometers covered. Frosinone did both of those things last week. And while kilometers covered has little meaning, its worth taking notice when we reach these fringes. Atalanta isn’t a team that can thrive with skill and technique to overcome an opposition’s overzealous energy, so they’ve got to match energy when the time calls for it. A Gasp team should obviously be able to do that.
There’s very few cake walks games left in Serie A, and ones teams that combine hustle and the semblance of a good press can cause Atalanta problems. Atalanta’s ability to work the ball out of its own half will make or break their season. Fortunately, they’ve got pieces that should be able to help solve this serious problem we don’t want to carry over from last year.
The CDK GLS Partnership
Charles de Ketelaere and Gianluca Scamacca passed their starting audition with flying colors. A brace for Scamacca, and a well-rounded game for de Ketelaere helped lead Atalanta to a comfortable and convincing third round victory for the home fans against Monza. Scamacca’s class is evident to anyone with at least 60-20 vision, but de Ketelaere is already convincing enough to be penciled in as a starter. Choosing between de Ketealere, Teun Koopmeiners, and Ademola Lookman for the two attacking midfield positions is a nice problem to have – my only fear is who can supplement Scamacca when he needs rest. His fitness problems at West Ham may be behind him, but when Luis Muriel is the second option, its going to make us sweat a little each time Scamacca takes a slight spill on the pitch.
A Farewell to Zapata
Leading us to the sad departure of Serie A’s most decorated Colombian. Duvan Zapata travels west to Turin and will look to reestablish himself under the tutelage of Ivan Juric. It was poetic that Atalanta was able to score in his final match for Atalanta – a goal that makes him tied for top leading Serie A scorer in Atalanta’s history. But it is difficult to imagine Atalanta’s life without Zapata. He was the first reason I fell in love with the club – and I’ll support him wherever he plays (crazy that I may be being a granata shirt in the future).
Watching Scamacca dominate Monza playing in the middle of the pitch, one still has to wonder what Zapata could have offered Gasperini if he was deployed in a similar fashion. His goal against Frosinone was a result of his strength in the middle of pitch, rather than him being shipped out wide on the flank. Its probably a salary thing more than anything. Do you want your second highest payed player getting a start every third game? Sadly it was probably just time – and Atalanta can truly start fresh outside the shadow of the old Papu and Ilicic squads.
Finishing Off The Transfer Market With Confusion
Atalanta got greedy with its Swedish meatballs, and ultimately only had the appetite for one. Emil Holm was palatable for the brass, while Isak Hien was left on the table unfinished. I can understand Atalanta’s situation, as it didn’t want to overpay for Hien. The armchair fans wonders what’s two or three million euros among friends, but the last time Atalanta overpaid for a Hellas Verona centerback, Matteo Lovato quickly got shipped off the next year to Salernitana. Was Hien worth it and is it a miss? I’m not really sure. Marten de Roon still became a centerback option over Lovato when he was here – and honestly having de Roon as fifth choice with a capable Michel Adopo to play the midfield is still a good spot to be in. The good thing, Sead Kolasinac has firmly cemented himself as the left centerback, leaving only Rafael Toloi’s health as the main constraint from Atalanta having a strong centerback core.
On the other hand, Emil Holm could be the one to bring fun back to Atalanta’s wing back situation. Already getting his first shot on target in fifteen minutes of play, the towering Swede may be La Dea’s best option to instill needed offense when the team is sputtering around looking for offense. 6’3″ is serious height coming in off the wing – especially if his radar is locked on target for one of Matteo Ruggeri’s crosses.
What To Do At Left Wingback?
Speaking of Ruggeri… his left foot is a specimen made in a laboratory. He’s Atalanta’s best crosser, and has already assisted two headed goals – something that Atalanta hasn’t had in its arsenal in a long time. The only problem is the rest of Ruggeri’s game. If there was somehow that Ruggeri could teleport to the 18 yard box and ping in crosses – I’ll take that all day. However the rest of Ruggeri’s game is so questionable. He’s a one trick pony when it comes to getting the ball forward, and while he made some very nice defensive plays against Monza, the jury is out on whether he can consistently provide good defensive output.
As Mitchel Bakker acclimates to life in Italy, Ruggeri’s ability to cross keeps him in consideration as starter. But the true test will come for Ruggeri when he lines up defensively against some of the better right backs or left wingers in the league. Help from Koopmeiners in distribution and defensive assistance from Kolasinac may help Ruggeri rise to occasion – and with height from Scamacca, de Ketelaere, and Holm lining up for his crosses – he COULD be the Borna Sosa we were always looking for.
Keep The Momentum Up Post International Break
Its a shame that Atalanta has to wait another two weeks to carry its momentum post Monza victory – especially when we’re trying to get players to gel in a brand new setup. International breaks always seem to come at the most inopportune moments, but it at least gives the boys a high note to leave on. Three upcoming matches against Fiorentina, Cagliari, and Hellas Verona provides a similar test level as Atalanta’s first three matches – with Fiorentina being the obvious step up in quality. But another six points feel like a requirement, even as Atalanta tries to bring new players into the squad.
But all things feel possible now. Scamacca is the real deal, CDK is not the AC Milan version of himself, Teun Koopmeiners continues to find new ways to surprise us with his versatility, and Ederson is relishing the opportunity to be the pace in the double pivot. Rafael Toloi probably comes back after break, and suddenly Atalanta only has questions on how to handle left wing. Get all this sorted out by October, and patiently wait for El Bilal Toure in 2024 and La Dea SHOULD be firing on all cylinders. We’ll stay patiently optimistic, but if La Dea can match the energy of its opposition when it is required, this team will treat us to many more great moments this season.
Until then, Forza Dea!
