Atalanta show first signs of struggles without Papu Gomez

Atalanta’s rapid rise to prominence has sent shockwaves throughout the footballing world, with Gian Piero Gasperini’s men taking Europe by storm. Alejandro ‘Papu’ Gomez has been at the heart of everything good in Bergamo in recent years but has since left the club after falling out with Gasperini.

Gomez made his move to Sevilla official on Thursday, joining the Andalusian side for just under six million euros. While Atalanta will be hoping its next-man-up mentality can help replace the departed Argentine, Gomez represented far more than just a playmaker. In many ways, Papu made Gasperini’s side tick and always looked to get on the ball in the final third. Gli Orobici has largely impressed since Gomez was frozen out of the team, picking up convincing wins against Sassuolo, Roma, Lazio, and Milan among others.

Atalanta’s most recent defeat, however, is cause for concern. Lazio completed dominated the battle in the middle of the park, emerging 3-1 winners against the Bergamo-based outfit. Without Gomez pulling the strings in between the lines, Atalanta struggled to create chances and looked toothless for much of the affair. Atalanta’s recent triumphs over Italy’s big sides are encouraging, but if Gasperini’s men are to reach last season’s heights, they will need players to step up.

Matteo Pessina has done well since returning to Atalanta, establishing himself as Gasperini’s first-choice attacking midfielder. The former Hellas Verona man has done well linking up play in the final third but does not yield the same influence Gomez held. Pessina is not a traditional trequartista and mostly relies on his keen sense of positioning to get in good areas.

Gasperini has also turned to Josip Ilicic and Aleksei Miranchuk in attack. The former has done exceptionally well since Gomez’s falling out and has largely picked up the slack in the offensive third. The Slovenian is arguably Atalanta’s best bet at replacing the Argentine’s creativity without having to dip into their transfer kitty. Against Lazio, however, Ilicic’s limitations were brought to light. The former Palermo man is one of the league’s most creative outlets, however, he has undoubtedly benefitted from Gomez’s ability to progress the ball into dangerous areas. Without him, Ilicic must drop back often, reducing his ability to hurt the opposition inside the box.

Miranchuk is another player that will be looking to take his game to the next level. The Russian international is the most similar to Gomez in terms of playing style but lacks consistency. Miranchuk has only made two starts thus far in league action and will likely benefit from a run of games in the starting lineup.

Should Miranchuk struggle with a bigger role, Gasperini could always turn to Malinovskiy. The Ukrainian international thrives from the base of midfield but has featured regularly behind the strikers. Blessed with a wicked shot on both feet, Malinovskiy could offer Gasperini’s side some much-needed end product. However, much like Pessina, the 27-year-old is not an out-and-out number 10 and cannot be expected to deliver on Gomez’s level.

Atalanta’s recent victories have papered over the cracks, but make no mistake about it: Gli Orobici are a completely different team without Gomez and will soon need to adapt. Gasperini has demonstrated a unique ability to make the most of the squad at his disposal and continue to deliver beyond expectations. The Italian tactician has a number of options he can turn to in Gomez’s absence, with all players offering him something a little different.

Whether it is Ilicic, Miranchuk, Pessina, or Malinovskiy, Atalanta boasts impressive depth in the creative department. However, as much as depth is useful, Papu Gomez is not easily replaceable. With Gasperini forced back to the drawing board and a two-legged affair with Real Madrid looming, things are about to get interesting in Bergamo.

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Serie A Injury and Suspension Report – Round Four

Atalanta: Aleksey Miranchuk is set to be available after missing the first three matches with a thigh strain. Cristiano Piccini and Matteo Pessina have resumed practicing regularly following knee injuries and they too will return soon. Josip Ilicic is getting closer and closer, but the information on him is not always solid. Rafael Toloi is out of the quarantine after skipping the previous game, while Marco Carnesecchi has COVID. Mattia Caldara partially tore the patellar tendon in the left knee and will not be back before 2021.

Benevento: Andres Tello is be back after missing some time with ailments, but Federico Barba is still out. Gabriel Moncini will skip a game or two due to an adductor strain. Nicolas Viola needs more time to recover from a meniscus tear. Continue reading

Serie A Fantasy Team of the Year

No major surprises among the 11 selections, which mirror pretty well how the fantasy season has gone.

Samir Handanovic (63 points): it has been a pretty challenging year for defenses, especially in the restart, and nobody really put up elite numbers when it comes to conceded goals. Inter surrendered the least, 36, which is pretty pedestrian if we compare it with previous seasons, but six fewer than any other team, as Lazio allowed 42 and Juventus 43. Handanovic came in second with his 13 clean sheets, on a par with Gianluigi Donnarumma, trailing Udinese’s Juan Musso by a single unit. Continue reading

Serie A Injury and Suspension Report – Round 38

Atalanta: Josip Ilicic will miss another one and will be probably joined by José Palomino, who picked up a thigh problem in the last game.

Bologna: Mattia Bani (calf) and Takehiro Tomiyasu (thigh) will not be back for the season finale. Mitchell Dijks and Ladislav Krejci (thigh) have been ruled out. 

Brescia: Jhon Chancellor and Simon Skrabb are out, while Jesse Joronen, Alfredo Donnarumma and even Andrea Cistana are in the squad list, but that is not necessarily an indication they are certainly going to play.   Continue reading

Serie A Fantasy Preview – Round 33

ATALANTA-BRESCIA

Atalanta: their supersonic offense spiked Juventus, with Duvan Zapata returning to the stat-sheet after three games, Ruslan Malinovskyi smashing one home in brilliant fashion and Alejandro Gomez and Luis Muriel setting up their teammates. Josip Ilicic is not all the way back but looked a bit better. It is an embarrassment of riches and, in a pristine match-up, a lot could come down on who rests and who gets to start, but Muriel being out all but assures Zapata will be in the XI. Robin Gosens quickly recovered from a thigh injury but might still be spared, however Timothy Castagne and Hans Hateboer are as big fantasy weapons as the Dutchman. Mario Pasalic would be palatable if starting.

Suggested picks: Zapata, Malinovskyi, Ilicic. Continue reading

Serie A Fantasy Preview – Round 32

LAZIO-SASSUOLO

Lazio: the Biancocelesti had scrapped their way into two wins after the resumption, but they had generally looked off and everything came crashing down in Lecce. Ciro Immobile, other than drilling a penalty kick, has not been the same player he was prior to the stoppage and he has not been in synch with Luis Alberto. The issues were then exacerbated by key injuries, the latest one to Joaquin Correa. Sergej Milikovic-Savic, like Alberto, bagged one recently but has not been as dominating as in the past. Felipe Caicedo returned to the box score after a while in Lecce and he is poised to take on a massive role. The form is lacking, the talent is not, so they can snap out of it in any given moment. Manuel Lazzari has arguably been their most consistent player recently.

Suggested picks: Caicedo, Lazzari, Immobile.  Continue reading

Serie A Fantasy Preview – Round 28 – Sunday Games

Milan-Roma: the Rossoneri had an excellent performance against Lecce, although the quality of the opponents, especially in the back, needs to be taken into consideration. The light front-line worked out wonderfully as Samu Castillejo, Ante Rebic and Giacomo Bonaventura all scored and Hakan Calhanoglu dished out two assists. Even Rafael Leao netted one off the bench. It is set to be confirmed as a whole because Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be at most be ready for a brief stint. Rebic and Bonaventura have the biggest chances to take home bonuses and Roma are not particularly stingy, while Calhanoglu runs most of the offense. Theo Hernandez picked it up where he left off and was one of their engines.

Suggested picks: Rebic, Bonaventura, Calhanoglu. Continue reading

Serie A Injuries and Suspension Report – Round 28

Atalanta: Josip Ilicic returned from an ankle problem in the last game, thus they have nothing else to worry about.

Bologna: Federico Santander and Andreas Skov Olsen will be out for a while due to thigh strains.

Brescia: Jhon Chancellor (thigh) will miss another one. Andrea Cistana is not close after repairing his peroneal tendon during the lockdown. Continue reading

Serie A Injuries and Suspensions Report – Round 27

Atalanta: Josip Ilicic sprained his right ankle in practice and will have to be assessed before the Lazio game. Mario Pasalic is suspended.

Bologna: Mattia Bani, Jerdy Schouten and Federico Santander are suspended and the striker also picked up a biceps femoris strain and will be sidelined for three-to-four weeks. Similar timetable for Andreas Skov Olsen, who is nursing a lesion of the myotendinous junction of the right flexor. Continue reading

Serie A Fantasy Preview and Predictions – Round 25 – Makeup Games

Serie A resumes with a soft relaunch that features the matches that were postponed in March.

Torino-Parma: the Granata were one of the least interesting teams fantasy-wise before the stoppage, with Andrea Belotti being the only okay piece to rely on. The coach has been working on ways to fix that and might go with a more aggressive scheme this time around, with the Rooster and Simone Zaza together and Alex Berenguer and Simone Edera on the flanks, since Simone Verdi will be out for a while. They also lost Daniele Baselli, another substantial blow, and Cristian Ansaldi, one of their biggest playmakers, is not totally right. Besides the spry Berenguer (five goals so far), it is a wait-and-see approach. Continue reading