Article 59 — Overview of Postponed Matches of Serie A Round 26
My previous article was a partisan analysis of Inter’s win over Sampdoria. I am attaching the link here for you to refer back to: https://medium.com/@rasfootballworld/article-58-dr-jekyll-mr-hyde-inter-dd5f91f87f24
I will now take a look at the other fixtures that took place on Sunday and Monday morning. Torino drew 1–1 against Parma in the first fixture of this round. Torino’s captain Andrea Belotti could have made it 3 points for his team had he converted a penalty. Parma is comfortable in mid-table with nothing to play for while Torino is still sweating over their Serie A status in 15th place after this draw, 3 points ahead of the Lecce in 18th place.
Torino is still in the dogfight and would need to pick up some points now to stay on in Serie A for another season. This match was shrouded with controversy post-match when Torino posted a picture of goal scorer Nicolas Nkoulou paying homage to the Black Lives Matter movement in front of his captain Belotti who was standing. Torino got a lot of flak for posting that picture because it looked like Belotti was a racist and had no respect for the movement that his team-mate strongly believes in.
They say a picture speaks a thousand words but in this case, I feel it can’t be further from the truth. If you watch the sequence, Belotti was clearly respecting his team-mate’s homage by patiently observing it before congratulating him for the goal he scored.
On the same day, Hellas Verona beat Cagliari 2–1. Both teams are in mid-table but Verona are having a great season in their return to Serie A. They have given the big teams a run for their money and claimed the notable scalp of Juventus. Their manager Ivan Juric had 3 separate spells at his former club Genoa under trigger happy owner Enrico Preziosi without really doing well in Serie A but is doing very well for himself at Verona.
Cagliari, on the other hand, after a strong start to the season has been in free-fall since December. Rolando Maran was sacked in place for Inter legend, Walter Zenga. Verona was unlucky to find themselves down to 10 men with 10 minutes left in the first half after Fabio Borini was penalised for catching his opponent on the follow-through of a challenge. Cagliari couldn’t capitalise on playing with numerical superiority and could only pull one goal back. Cagliari also found themselves down to 10 men for Luca Cigarini’s second bookable offence. Cagliari risk getting suck into the relegation dogfight if their form doesn’t improve.
Finally, Atalanta took Sassuolo to the cleaners, trashing them 4–1. Atalanta is the league’s top scorers with 74 goals currently. They carried on from where they left off before the enforced Corona Virus pandemic lockdown. They lead Roma who is in 5th place by 6 points but based on the present form you would fancy the side from Bergamo to qualify for the Champions League and deservingly so.
Atalanta has been a revelation in Italian football for the past 4 seasons during Gian Piero Gasperini’s reign. He had a shaky start before finding his feet in time to get the team to play some great football and winning games in style.
What has been impressive is that this has been achieved without any big-name, big-money signings. Every season from 2016–17 onwards, they have lost some key players but at the same time have reinvested into the squad with astute signings. Atalanta is famed for its youth system and the club has banked on the products of this system as well to ensure sustained and steady progress.
Their performances have also meant qualification to the Europa League in 2017–18 and 2018–19 while their highest ever Serie A finish of 3rd place last season saw them qualify for the Champions League for the first time ever in their history.
They have qualified for the quarter-final of the Champions League and in the present format, they can focus on Serie A before turning their focus to European football. With the Champions League played over one knockout leg, there is every possibility of Atalanta going on a fairytale, Hollywood run to the semi-final or even the final against the big boys and big-spending teams of Europe.
Atalanta’s performances have meant that they are the favourite 2nd team of many who follow Italian football even if their colours might prick and sting the eyes of some who have a particular dislike for the blue and black stripes. Atalanta has been a breath of fresh air in a time when modern football is dominated by big-money signings and teams with endless cash to spend backed by ultra-rich owners. They have proven that you could build a really good team and win matches by playing well without the need for big money. It would be romantic and a victory for football if they can put the icing on the cake and win something soon, better yet something major.
