Atalanta Club Focus: A nice win, now we look beyond Lazio

Date: 7th March 2014 at 5:15am
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Welcome back to Atalanta Club Focus for another week of fun!

This week, we are celebrating a rather expected but big nonetheless three points against a struggling Chievo. This was a game that started well, things were going nicely and according to plan when Carlos Carmona gave the Orobici the lead just after the 20 minute mark of the game. Both sides remained pretty evenly matched throughout as the statistics will show.

Atalanta narrowly won on possession (51-49%) while both teams managed to get twelve shots away each. Chievo got an equaliser with less than 20 minutes to play and it was beginning to look like the Nerazzurri faithful were to go home disappointed.

That is, until the magnificent Luca Cigarini was summoned from the bench. It didn’t take the Italian long to make a difference as within two minutes of his introduction as a late substitute he found himself at the edge of the box at just the right time to smash home a lay-off from Germán Denis to claim all three points for the Bergamo boys.

This was a result that meant Atalanta remained in 13th place in the Serie A table. They are now level with Sampdoria in 12th and they face each other in the next couple of weeks. Not only does it mean they are as good as safe for this season, it also puts them just five points behind the much praised Torino. Given the amount of attention that has been given to this Torino team this season, Colantuono’s men deserve an enormous amount of credit for still being within touching distance of the Granata.

Next up for La Dea is Lazio away. I’m not going to spend too much time looking at this because I can’t see any outcome other than a home win for the Biancocelesti. Edy Reja’s men come into the game on the back of two consecutive league wins – the most recent of which coming away to Fiorentina and are currently sat in 8th place. This considered, as well as the Orobici’s well highlighted (by me anyway) abysmal away form this season I struggle to see any real chance this weekend.

One positive, rather personal note I will make on the game is that the reverse of this fixture, when Lazio visited Bergamo in October marks the date that my love affair with Atalanta began as myself and the rest of the Forza Italian Football team were guests of the ultras, well, in a way. You can hear more about that by going and listening to my appearance on the FIF Club Focus podcast where Drew Farmer and I reminisce about that particular weekend.

Looking beyond this weekend and things begging to look good again. The following fixture is a home game against a Sampdoria side who are on the up. Sampdoria are one place ahead of La Dea and they both have the same number of points.

Although Sampdoria are good on their travels, Atalanta are better at home, the Nerazzurri are fifth in the home table and that is with playing Roma, Juve, Napoli, Lazio, Inter and Fiorentina there so far this season. Their amazing home form really needs to be remembered before any game at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia.

Come back next week and I’ll take a closer look at the Sampdoria fixture and then we can sit back, relax, and wait for the three points!

Until next week, FORZA ATALANTA!

Follow Conor Clancy on Twitter: @concalcio 

 

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