Atalanta – Uphill start
By David, BettingExpert.com | Published
For last season’s involvement with the betting scandal that rocked the Serie B last season Atalanta will have to kick off their top flight campaign with a six-point handicap. Some teams have managed to recover from worse situations and with the ambition that the club has stormed back in Serie A with they should manage to shrug off the nuisance as games roll by.
Manager: Colantuono
Tactics: 4-4-2
Players In: Denis, Schelotto, Moralez, Cigarini, Brighi, Masiello, Gabbiadini, Lucchini
Players Out: Edgar Barreto, Radovanovic
Current Probable Formation: Consigli, Masiello, Manfredini, Lucchini, Peluso, Schelotto, Cigarini, Padoin, Bonaventura, Moralez, Denis
There were no problems for Atalanta to make the most out of the favourites tag in Serie B last season. They finished on top of everyone else and not just because they had the best team of all contenders vying for a place in Serie B. They also wanted to be sure they made a few side bucks from it all. At least that is what Doni has been accused of and eventually suspended for the rest of next three years, That is how he will be ending his career n football given his age.
This should have an impact on the team not only because he is the captain but also because of the central role he played for Atalanta since days immemorial. As he grew older he still managed to retain the respect and his place in the squad but he did become less important tactically.
Manager Colantuono will not be one to depend solely on the performances of one player. The many new faces this year will make sure there is a new wining reality at the club. A beginning independent of historical figure Doni.
Schelotto has not always managed to show off all his skills. Revisiting his stint with Cesena last season after being loaned out in January from Catania, fully supports that perspective. He is regarded as a young winger with lots of talent but there always seems to be some form of distraction that keeps him from expressing his full potential. It will be up to manager Colantuono to bring out the best from him. He will be needing his services a lot as he fits in very well as a wide man in the 4-4-2. Padoin, Bonaventura or maybe ex-Roma man Brighi may be the equivalent of the Argentine on the other side of midfield but none are true wingers as him. As such one should expect play to develop a lot on the right side of midfield for Atalanta.
It will not be a story of open offensive football though. Summer signings Moralez and Denis will have to be flexible enough to help out the team even in midfield and then sprint towards the box in concert with neat and fluid passing. They have the technical qualities, just like Schelotto, and will be working with the wingers a lot in developing the fast runs which Colantuono will demand.
A top acquisition for the club has been sporting director Marino. He was an integral part of De Laurentis’ Napoli before the club supremo fired him and handed matters to Bigon and manager Mazzarri. His only mistake was probably insisting that Mazzarri was not the right man for Napoli. Otherwise he was always one to have the right contacts that help him keep tabs on the players who are promising and can be bought at the right price. An important characteristic for clubs which want to grow slowly.
He was behind the arrival of Lavezzi and Hamsik at Napoli and this time round masterminded the moves of Atalanta forwards Denis and Moralez. The former had been a player he had acquired for Napoli but was never given the chance to prove his worth. In the few times he was given time on the field he looked like a very valid player but he does need to be given space upfront. He has to be the most advanced man on the field for his team and be well backed up by offensive players who can put the ball in the box. This does not mean that he will simply be waiting for the ball. He has the instinct to put it in the net but can also play his companions into play with fast passing and an adequate vision.
The curiosity surrounds how he will partner up with the diminutive striker Moralez. He is more of a shoulder striker, possessing more creativity and speed. His short stature, about 1.59 centimetres, has blocked many doors for him but at Atalanta they may have reasoned that if Barcelona can be the best with a bunch of players who rarely go over the 1.70 centimetre mark than something good might come out of Moralez as well.
At other Brighi had been employed in the centre of midfield in the past seasons, sometimes in amore advanced role too. He should be a starter alongside Cigarini, a player who needs to regain his form and the national team jersey after a season in the shadows at Napoli.
It is the defensive front that may leave much to be desired in this team. Manfredini’s suspension, less serious than that inflicted on Doni but equally damaging as he would have missed out on over a year of football, has been recalled. He is the leader of the defence and therefore will give some respite to a backline which may struggle to keep up with life in Serie A.
Predicted finishing position: 12th
Being the only team that kicks off with the handicap this year they would be the favourites for the drop. However, a series of ambitious moves by the club spell out a clear intent that they are here to stay. Their acquisitions have been excellent and bar any major injuries their 4-4-2 should trouble most clubs, even the big ones.
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