Atalanta’s 2-1 win over Palermo at the Stadio Renzo Barbera on Sunday was the Orobici’s first win in seven Serie A games. More importantly the three points gained from the victory has helped them climb to 13th in the table and six points above the relegation zone.
Despite a good team effort one man needs to be given credit for the Bergamo team’s latest win, and that man is German “El Tanque” Denis. The Argentina striker came off the bench to score Atalanta’s second goal, as well as playing a pivotal role in their first.
The 31-year old powerful forward had been an ever present in Stefano Colantuono’s side this season, starting every game up until the trip to Sicily.
Colantuono opted to drop El Tanque from his starting eleven on Sunday claiming that his decision to start Denis from the bench was for two reasons. Firstly he felt that his team needed to be a little bit more “protected defensively” and by playing a loan striker his team would be able to get more bodies behind the ball if needed. Secondly he felt that Denis would have benefited from being relieved of the pressure of leading the line from the start, and that by coming off the bench he would “find peace and calm”.
It appears that Colantuono pulled off a tactical masterstroke once again, after Denis’s introduction changed the game. Within a minute of coming onto the pitch a great piece of hold up play from El Tanque led to a chance for Ivan Radovanovic to drill a shot from at least 30 yards towards the Palermo goal, the strike rebounded off the cross bar and into path of Carlos Carmona, leaving the Chilean to head home his second goal of the season. Incidentally Carmona’s only other goal this season came from an assist from Denis.
With 19 minutes left to go Guglielmo Stendardo sent Denis through on goal just inside the Palermo half, the Atalanta front man dispatched a low driven shot past the highly rated Stefano Sorrentino in the Rosanero goal to double the Orobici’s lead.
Nelson did manage to pull a goal back for the home side seven minutes from the end but any hope of a come back were far out of site.
El Tanque’s super sub performance couldn’t have came at a better time, during the final day’s of the transfer window rumours had been circulating that the Bergamo club were looking to off load Denis onto Palermo.
These reports were later dismissed as nonsense by Atalanta director general Pierpaolo Marino, who angrily reacted by stating “I’m really tired of this Denis ‘hoax’. German will not be leaving Bergamo,” he went on to claim “Whoever is saying these things does not love Atalanta.”
Regardless of if there was any truth in Denis’s departure or not Atalanta made no secrets that they intended to add strength and depth to their attacking line. Cagliari’s Mauricio Pinilla was strongly linked with a transfer to the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia.
Ex-Atalanta striker and current Torino captain Rolando Bianchi was also tipped to make a return to Bergamo during the transfer window but a deal failed to materialise. However it does look very likely that Bianchi will return to Bergamo to sign for his childhood club in the summer when his contract expires with il Toro.
Atalanta did manage acquire two new forwards in January, 32-year-old Croatian Igor Budan, who moved from Palermo on loan for his second spell in Bergamo. While his compatriot Marko Livaja joined La Dea as part of the deal that took Ezequiel Schelotto to Internazionale.
Denis was awarded Atalanta’s man of the month award on Wednesday at the Atalanta store in Bergamo’s Orio center, while he was there he gave an interview to the local press, he spoke about the transfer hoax and his desire to remain an Atalanta player. “I’m angry because it never crossed my mind to go to Palermo and instead something that is not true was written. Atalanta will be my final team in Italy? I have a contract with Atalanta, in my mind there is only Atalanta.”
During his time at with the Nerazzurri Denis has not had much competition for places in the starting line up, but with six other forward players on the Orobici’s books the 31-year old may have to prove his worth to Colantuono, and Sunday’s performance certainly put him on the right track to regaining his place.
Atalanta’s top scorer and provider with eight goals and four assists from 23 appearances so far this season, El Tanque’s record speaks for its self. Although his form this season is not to be sniffed at it, is far bellow par compared to last year, where he finished the campaign on 16 goals from 33 games.
Before joining Atalanta in the summer of 2011 Denis had played in Serie A for Napoli and Udinese but his goal scoring record did not make great reading, he had also previously spent a loan spell in Italy back in 2002/03 with Cesena but yet again his struggled to find the net on a regular basis. It is safe to say the Bergamo is a place that has got the best out of the Argentine out side of his native country.
The only time Denis has bettered his scoring record of 16 goals in a single campaign was back in his homeland for Club Atletico Independiente were he scored a staggering 18 goals from just 19 games during the 2007/2008 season, he went on to score 27 goals from 36 games that year. This impressive form took the eye of Napoli who brought him back to Serie A.
Catania are up next for La Dea as they visit the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia on Sunday. Denis’s record against Gli Elefanti is not that good with him having only been on a winning side against them on one occasion and so far he is yet to find the back of the net in five attempts. Hopefully he can change that now that he has found the “peace and calm” that Colantuono felt he needed.
Stefano Lucchini, Daniele Capelli, Gianpaolo Bellini, Michele Ferri, Guido Marilungo are all still ruled out through injury while new signing Lionel Scaloni along Luca Cigarini join them in the treatment room after picking up knocks during the week.
The defensive pairing of Matteo Contini and Cristiano Del Grosso who both joined form Siena last week are set to make their home debuts. A win for the Nerazzurri could see them climb up the Serie A table to 11th if results go their way.
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