Date: December 1, 2020
Time: 15:00 EST
After a second straight shaky Serie A weekend, Atalanta looks to get back on track in a must win Champion’s League game against winless Midtjylland (last time I’m writing that club name). While Atalanta have already gained at least a spot in the Europa League round of 32, Champion’s League is still much on the mind of La Dea, who sit comfortably tied for 2nd with Ajax. An Atalanta victory, plus an Ajax loss on Tuesday results in Atalanta needing only a tie to advance in the final extravaganza against the Dutch. The Danes can’t be taken lightly, as they now have nothing to lose in the groups and are playing purely for pride. Similarly they could also choose to completely forgo the rest of the Champion’s League and focus on the Danish League. I’m hoping for the latter, but Atalanta has to ensure Gasperini and crew are ready for an FCM side playing with nothing to lose.
The good thing about Champion’s League football is it forces you to have a quick memory. Coming off a Verona loss on Saturday (which was easily winnable, but fair play to Verona for a great game plan and execution), Atalanta will have to put the match in the rear view mirror and focus on the next opponent. There’s absolutely no time to dwell, and it offsets any of the brutality of the current fixture schedule (if that’s any consolation). Granted, fighting off the attrition continues to be the name of the game…. Speaking of that:
It looks like mental fatigue is starting to settle on the back line with Toloi. He was weak against Verona (even given his offensive chances), and could be up for his third straight game on Tuesday, if he starts. Unfortunately he’s becoming the weakest link in the back three (if Romero and Djimsiti are in), and could either really use a rest or he needs to rebuild some confidence. Especially with Hateboer having to start on Tuesday, the right side of the defense will have to fend off fatigue, as there is literally no back up for both guys (Djimsiti could fill in on the right, but he has equal match-time to Toloi, and couldn’t really provide reinforcements in terms of match fitness.) The fact that Sutalo is not eligible for Champion’s League is really starting to hurt the defensive backline, especially with Caldara injured. Atalanta should and fortunately will be able to dominate possession at home, and hopefully not put the defense in too many compromising positions and sprints to cover counter attacks.
While Atalanta have demonstrated the ability to hold possession and play football in the opponent’s half, possession hasn’t really turned into shots on targets and goals. Especially against Verona, 8 or 9 guys were immediately in the box whenever Papu or Ilicic looked ready to play in a dangerous ball. While Zapata has been good, and has been unlucky not to get a goal, I feel Muriel is the key to unlocking the lack of goals recently. His pace is tough to match, and he can get off blistering shots faster than a Western gunslinger. He hasn’t played a lot recently, and should be very fresh for the midweek fixture. Frankly I’m excited for the potential Zapata/Muriel combo, given Ilicic probably won’t play three straight games. The Colombian duo has been the most deadly striker duo for Atalanta (when on the pitch together), and I’d really wish Gasp would give them another start together…. The Ilicic experiment (bless him) is starting to get old…..
Ultimately it’s up to Gasperini to help the troops ride the ship and get out of the funk they’ve been experiencing (Liverpool win aside). Champion’s League should be motivation enough for the club to maintain focus, but as we come down to the final matches with a trail of meh results in the rear-view mirror, Tuesday is a must win for confidence, Champion’s League placing, and team building. Fortunately against FCM, we may have one more game for a little squad experimentation, but after that once we have the COVID positives behind us, I want the best XI out there. Hopefully Tuesday is a sneakpeak of what the best XI is, and hopefully it gets us back not just to victories in Champion’s League and in Serie A, but goals and more goals…. Champion’s League advancement is in La Dea’s hands, time to go grab it by the horns! Forza La Dea!
