I sit down to write this article while watching Sunday’s 4-1 defeat to Juventus a day late, perhaps not the best time to optimistically reflect on the season so far while watching a defeat to a side that are head and shoulders above not only Atalanta, but most of Serie A as well.
Putting this result aside, La Dea have been rather disappointing this season. They head into the winter break sitting in 15th place, and find themselves just four points clear of the relegation zone. It may well be time for Stefan Colantuono to start worrying.
A Tactical Look
Colantuono doesn’t seem to be 100 per cent sure as to what the best formation is for his side. Throughout the 18 games so far he has swapped between 4-4-1-1, 3-5-2, 4-3-3 and even 4-5-1. Of these formations it would appear that he believes 4-4-1-1 to be the most effective for the Nerazzurri. This formation tends to see German Denis leading the line with fellow countryman Maxi Moralez playing just behind him.
Early in the season it seemed that 4-3-3 would be the deployed formation by Colantuono, with a 3-5-2 being set for the bigger sides like Napoli and Fiorentina.
Star Performer: Luca Cigarini
This was an easy decision for me to make, the one man who has stood out for me in this Atalanta side is Luca Cigarini. His performances this season have been impressive enough to start rumours that he may be moving on to one of the so called “big clubs” in January. However, the La Dea faithful will be pleased to hear that his agent has firmly denied speculation that he will be leaving in January.
Cigarini is integral to any success Atalanta will have. In his 15 games this season he has just the one goal, but has contributed with six assists. Considering that the Nerazzurri have only scored 18 times this season this is very impressive that he alone is hugely responsible for seven of these goals.
Playing in the side which has the worst pass completion percentage of the whole of Serie A, Cigarini is more important than most. He is capable of keeping the ball for his team and picking out a pass that others can’t see. He can split a defence with a pass, as is seen with his six assists.
In the pre-match build up to the Juventus game, Cigarini was compared to Andrea Pirlo. This is obviously a very generous comparison but his importance to Atalanta is equal to Pirlo’s to Juve. He may not be as good, but he is just as significant to his side. Atalanta simply need to keep hold of Cigarini is they are to steer clear of those bottom three places.
Biggest Disappointment: Giacomo Bonaventura/Maxi Morales
This may seem harsh, and I am not saying that these two players have been the worst players in the Atalanta side this season but I certainly would have expected more from them. Giacomo Bonaventura and Maxi Moralez could and should feel as if they may have contributed more to their side this season.
Moralez, who has been playing as a second striker behind Denis for most of the season only scored his second of the campaign in Sunday’s defeat to Juve. Despite having played in 16 games he has also only contributed with one assist. His performances need to be improved in the second half of the season.
Now to Bonaventura, this is a player who is constantly receiving media attention and being linked to nearly all of Italy’s big clubs, but his performances this season have not warranted this attention. He has only found the net once in his 11 games and before he set up Moralez on Sunday, only had one assist to his name too.
Atalanta don’t score enough goals, so they really need these two players to perform to the levels they are capable of if they want to avoid relegation and achieve the mid table finish they aimed for before the season began.
Best Summer Signing: Mario Yepes
Atalanta only brought in three payers in the summer and none of these have made any real impact. It is hard to pick a stand out signing.
Considering the fact that no fee was involved, the signing of Mario Yepes on a free after his Milan departure probably represents the best business done by the Bergamo club in the summer. He has only played nine times this season but his 37 years of experience have no doubt been golden in the dressing room and has probably played a big role with helping the other defenders to learn from him.
Milestone Moment
This has been another thing that has been hard to choose as there have been no real big moments so far this season. I have decided to go for the home form – more specifically, back to back results against Lazio and Inter in Bergamo.
A 2-1 win over the Rome side followed by a well earned point against Inter shows the strength of La Dea at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia. Only Fiorentina and Juventus have left Bergamo with three points this season which shows how much of a force Atalanta are at home.
What needs to be done?
This is simple, Atalanta need to do two things:
1) Spread the goals around. They have only scored 18 times. Of these 18 goals, German Denis has six. Bonaventura, Moralez and the likes need to contribute more, there is no two ways about it.
2) Pick up points on the road. 14 of their 18 points at come at home and they have only managed one win on the road all season. If they are to stay in the division, good home form may not be enough. Colantuono needs to find a way to motivate his players on their travels, if not, they will find themselves in serious trouble come May.
Follow Conor Clancy on Twitter: @concalcio
