Not very often would I begin an article commending the accolades of our #95, but Pierluigi was an absolute monster today. Going head to head against one of Serie A’s best Szczesny, Gollini used all parts of his body, including his face to hold Juve to only one goal. Preventing Ronaldo from increasing his penalty count – after a soft call against Hateboer – Gollini got his first penalty save in as long as I can remember, providing the final surge La Dea needed to stave of Juventus’s final attacks. Given the brutal schedule and the important match coming up against Roma, earning a point away at Allianz and holding serve when nearly other top team tied or lost feels like a victory.
Asides from Atalanta’s defensive accolades – Djimsiti and Romero were excellent too – so much talk is going to come about Papu’s entrance into the match in the 2nd half. Does this mean anything? Did him and Gasperini make up? Will he stay? So many questions are opened up with his appearance, especially considering the effort he put in and the quality he displayed. It’s evident that the team feels calmer in attack when he’s in the game, and it’ll make it even more difficult to watch him leave after today’s perforamnce. Malinovskyi can do Papu-like things – though he isn’t as consistent and flails about on the ground too much – but today was an unfortunate reminder of the quality that Papu brings that’s nearly impossible to replicate. Maybe Malinovskyi or Miranchuk will get closer one day, but matching Papu’s consistency would be pushing on herculean.
With or without Papu, the club can really use a rest. Zapata looks gassed, and besides his one attempt against Bonucci had very to little to offer against De Ligt. I’m worried about the miles in the legs of the midfield and the wingbacks, and if Toloi is injured that puts even more pressure on the back three. The Christmas break can’t come soon enough, and if Atalanta can hold serve against Roma, I’d consider it a huge win. A tie against Juventus today was a huge start to staving off fatigue, it’ll just continue to take mental resolve to block out all of the crazy Papu rumors that are bound to keep plaguing the team. With all that said, Atalanta is close, and it showed today in Juventus’s end of game strategy that teams are still scared of the goal scoring threat they can be. Just getting a few players back on a consistent basis of form (one of Lesha or Ruslan), and January should be fun for La Dea fans, with our without Papu. As always, Forza La Dea!
