04 March 2016
Mid-table security
For a side sitting in mid-table, Atalanta’s home form doesn’t spring too many shocks or surprises – indeed, were the season to have been played purely in their own backyard, they’d only be one place better off for it, creeping up to 12th.
That said, the Nerazzurri’s form at the Atleti Azzurri d’Italia has been crucial to their safety net of seven points currently separating them from the relegation zone. Indeed, five of their seven wins this season have come in Bergamo.
Home comforts disappearing
2016 has not been a good year so far for Atalanta, who have failed to win a single fixture since beating Palermo on 6 December.
The demise had been rather dramatic, to say the least, for a side who had taken maximum points from four of their first five home outings, but have now failed to win in front of their own fans in their last six Bergamo-based clashes and 12 matches in total.
One of the major problems to have halted the promising first half of the campaign enjoyed by Edy Reja’s men is an evident inability to convert draws into victories – only Sassuolo (11) and Hellas Verona (12) have shared the points more often than the Nerazzurri this term (nine).
Dogged defenders, wide attackers
For a side on the slide of late, Atalanta have nonetheless kept things relatively tight at the back – their 14 goals conceded at home is the ninth best record in the league, blemished primarily by the three let in against potent attacking outfits Napoli and Fiorentina respectively.
That the Bianconeri can expect to come up against a determined defence in Bergamo is also backed up the fact that Reja’s charges have made the sixth highest number of tackles (209) at home and only 16 other teams in Serie A have won back the ball more than their 881 times. Bear in mind also that Atalanta have played one less encounter (13, instead of 14) in front of their fans than all of the sides to sit above them in the aforementioned rankings.
Going forwards, meanwhile, the Nerazzurri are highly in favour of focusing their attacks out wide, whipping in 24 crosses on average at home – the most in the division. Further evidence for their preference for foraying down the flanks is the diagram below.
Gomez the go-to man
With four goals to his name from home outings this term, Alejandro Gomez tops Atalanta’s scoring charts at the Atleti Azzurri d’Italia.
Following the January departures of former attacking partners German Denis and Maxi Moralez, to Independiente in Argentina and Club Leon in Mexico respectively, Gomez has had to shoulder far more of the responsibility up front.
Meanwhile, Chilean centre-forward Mauricio Pinilla will be looking to kick on after claiming a goal and an assist in the recent reverse to Fiorentina, having been restricted to the sidelines through injury between mid-November and the start of February.
