It’s time for Atalanta to refresh the troops

DBasia.news –  Since the arrival of Gian Piero Gasperini to Bergamo, Atalanta BC has rarely been dissolved in disappointment. The coach is always able to find ways to excite players, even after the worst results. Stumbling was not seen as a setback, but a moment for the team to learn and perform better.

The most appropriate example occurred two years ago, March 12, 2017, when Atalanta was humiliated 1-7 at the FC Internazionale headquarters. But does that make them worse? Absolutely not. In fact, La Dea continued to fight until it finally broke the Series A record points (72), finishing fourth in the standings to qualify for the Europa League group phase.

This is what Gasperini tried to do again after a 0-4 defeat by GNK Dinamo Zagreb in his Champions League debut. It feels painful indeed, especially with high enthusiasm for welcoming historical moments. However, this is not the end. Atalanta is just starting the season, there are still many other challenges waiting in the future.

One way Gasperini could try was to refresh the troops. In terms of composition, for example, many pillar players faded when they fell in Zagreb. Apart from captain Alejandro Gomez, there was no visible contribution from the regular faces. This is the right time for the coach to do a little experiment in the starting line-up.

Starting from the midfield dynamo. The Remo Freuler and Marten De Roon pair can be replaced by Mario Pasalic and Ruslan Malinovsky. Both offer energy and balance, but with different technical characteristics. Pasalic is not only a central midfielder whose job is to bridge defense and attack but is also able to be in the final phase. Just look at last season, he appeared 42 times in all competitions for La Dea, contributed 8 goals.

Pasalic is also equipped with playing flexibility: sometimes he can be on the wing side, another time sneaking behind two strikers as a trequartista. He can provide a solution for Gli Orobici when faced with difficult situations. When fallen in Zagreb, the Croatian player entered as a substitute in the second half, and immediately made the game more lively. Unfortunately, when the team was already destroyed and left behind 0-3.

While the quality of Malinovskyi has not been fully utilized. Since joining from FC Copenhagen in the summer, the Ukrainian midfielder has only performed 3 times in all competitions — all as substitutes. In fact, Ruslan has complete capabilities, both with and without the ball. Understand how to improve game mechanisms and create opportunities.

The existence of these two players can strengthen the Atalanta midfield. No need to change the basic formation, still 3-4-1-2, with Pasalic playing on the side of Freuler or De Roon, and Malinovskyi playing the trequartista. As the game progressed, the pattern could evolve into 3-5-2 or 4-2-3-1, helped by the flexibility of the two midfielders. Gasperini can determine whether his team wants to be more solid or more attacking.