Winning a proverbial six-pointer can be priceless, but when that win is followed by the prospect of yet another victory against a fellow relegation candidate it becomes a vital step to league survival.
After Atalanta’s 2-0 away victory over Siena last Sunday that is exactly what this weekend’s fixture against Pescara has become. A win for the Bergamo club on Sunday could all but seal Serie A survival for yet another season.
La Dea are currently lying 15th in the league and nine points above Siena, Pescara and Palermo who occupy the bottom three spaces on 21 points each. A home win for the Orobici over the Delfino, who are currently without a head coach, will extend their lead over them to12 points.
As an added bonus Palermo host Siena the same day at the Stadio Renzo Barbera. either way any result will be a good result for the Nerazzurri although ideally a draw will help Stefano Colantuono’s side pull away from the chasing pack, providing everything goes to plan at Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia.
Pescara come to Bergamo on the back of three straight defeats and are without a win in their last eight outings. Meanwhile Atalanta are fresh from their first away win since early February.
Although it has been well documented that La Dea’s away form this season has been far from good, since the turn of the year it has been their home form that has become more of a concern. Atalanta fans are still yet to see their team win a home tie in 2013, in fact Atalanta have only managed three home draws since the close of the winter break.
Last time Atalanta and Pescara met the two sides played out a goalless draw, Delfino goal keeper Mattia Perin was in sensational form as he parried away shot after shot throughout the game. Perrin has found himself out of favour in recent weeks and he has been dropped to the bench in place of former Atalanta primavera product Ivan Pelizzoli.
One thing that will bring hope to the hearts of the Atalanta tifosi will be the return to form of their new found talisman Giacomo Bonaventura. The 23-year old attacking midfielder’s brace against the Bianconeri last week put him on six goals for the season.
The last time “Jack” was in goal scoring form goals came along like buses for him as he scored four goals in six games at the tail end of 2012. The talented young Italian has already been likened to the once loved Atalanta legend Cristiano Doni. Bonaventura has an uncanny ability to arrive late in the box at the perfect moment and he also seams to be able to pick the ball up deep and drill shots home from distance just like Doni did during his heyday.
The impressive recent form of Bonaventura has led to numerous reports in the media linking him with a move to a bigger club in the future. Serie A champions Juventus in particular seem to be the most mentioned club that are lining up a possible move for the young La Dea midfielder.
However, many La Dea fans feel that Jack is here to stay and that black and blue blood runs through his veins. Unfortunately Atalanta has gained a reputation for being a selling club and all too often their rising stars are plucked away from Bergamo while in their prime.
For some reason Bonaventura seems to be destined for something a little different . It is widely thought that he may even be given the club captaincy in the not to distant future. One thing is for sure, whether it be in Bergamo or elsewhere, Bonaventura clearly has a bright future ahead of him.
One thing that will surely play a part in deciding Bonaventura’s future will be Atalanta securing Serie A survival. The future of La Dea head coach Colantuono will also depend heavily on how the Orobici finish the season. The 50-year old tactician had been linked to some high profile jobs over the past season, but at the same time questions have been asked as to whether he is good enough to guide his team away from relegation.
There is no doubt players like Bonaventura, Luca Cigarini , Andrea Consigli, Maximiliano Moralez and German Denis deserve to play at in the top flight and should the worst happen and the Nerazzurri do get relegated to Serie B the whole club will be decimated.
Colantuono will have practically full squad at his disposal once again with all first team regulars free from injuries and suspension.
Follow Clark on Twitter: @LaDeaLive and be sure to check out ladealive as well.
