Real Madrid will meet Atalanta after drawing the last 16 of the Champions League in Nyon, Switzerland, Monday (14/12). The meeting later could be very interesting, because Atalanta is not a weak team.
Both teams will play over two legs. Atalanta will act as host in the first leg, and two weeks later it is Madrid’s turn to host Atalanta.
As per the schedule from UEFA, the first leg will take place on 16, 17, 23 and 24 February 2021. While the second leg will take place on 9, 10, 16, 17 March 2021.
On paper Atalanta is not Madrid’s opponent. Atalanta just debuted in the Champions League last season, while Los Blancos are the most successful club with 13 titles in Europe’s highest caste competition.
Obviously a comparison is like the earth and the sky if you look at the historical records and achievements of the two.
Atalanta was in the spotlight when they performed well in the 2019/2020 Champions League. The results of the group phase draw put Atalanta with Manchester City, Shakhtar Donetsk and Dinamo Zagreb in Group C.
Although not a seed, in fact Gian Piero Gasperini’s team ended the group in second place and accompanied Man City to the last 16.
Atalanta’s progress was not convincing at first, they lost 0-4 to Dynamo Zagreb and 1-2 to Shakhtar. They were also beaten 1-5 by Man City.
Of course, three defeats in the first three matches thins Atalanta’s chance to escape.
But La Dea showed mentality and persistence in the remaining three parties in Group C. They had held Man City 1-1, then won 2-0 over Dinamo Zagreb and 3-0 over Shakhtar.
In the knockout phase, Atalanta went crazy. Valencia, who were faced twice, were beaten 4-1 and 4-3. They advance to the quarterfinals.
Until finally they met PSG who were played one leg because of the corona virus pandemic. Atalanta’s dream of qualifying for the semifinals in the debut season almost came true.
Unfortunately the 1-0 advantage over PSG up to 90 minutes had to be vanished during injury time. PSG turned ahead after scoring two goals in the 93 and 95 minutes.
Atalanta tried to repeat that story in the Champions League this season. Joined in Group D with Liverpool, Ajax, and FC Midtjylland, Atalanta was again runner-up. They accompany Liverpool to qualify for the last 16.
Atalanta’s record this time is better than last season. They ended the group with three wins, two times and one loss.
The only defeat was against Liverpool. They were slaughtered 1-5 at home, but revenge success at Anfield with a 2-0 victory.
Atalanta’s achievements and impressive performances are certainly a warning for Madrid who cannot underestimate him.
Madrid must be vigilant. Moreover, this season Los Merengues have been ‘talking’ in six matches in Group B with Borrusia Monchengladbach, Shakhtar Donets and Inter Milan.
Sergio Ramos cs lost twice against Shakhtar and was held to a draw against M’Gladbach.
They finished third until fifth matchday when they lost 0-2 on a trip to Shakhtar. Threatened to fail to qualify, Madrid needed maximum points in the last match against Gladbach which finally materialized after Karim Benzema bought up two winning goals.
Even though they are still the favorites to win the Champions League this season, Zinedine Zidane’s men still have to be vigilant against Atalanta, who is one of the dark horses besides RB Leipzig.
Not to mention that if you look at Madrid’s record when they meet Italian teams, it is still negative. In the last 62 years, Madrid have lost 18 times from 34 away matches against Italian teams.
Atalanta is not inhabited by first-class players, but is able to play as a team. Plus Gasperini is a coach who can show formation and tactical flexibility.
So far, Atalanta, like most Italian teams, have always emphasized a strong defense. They don’t hesitate to apply the latch pattern, wait for the opponent to make a mistake, then kill via counterattack.
That’s what Atalanta did. In six matches, Atalanta did not hold much possession of the ball, especially against strong teams like Ajax and Liverpool.
Atalanta’s only defeat was when beaten 1-5 by Liverpool. At that time, Gasperini applied a 5-3-2 formation, which did not move.
But the match at Anfield was the opposite, even though Liverpool had a lot of reserved players because it was certain to qualify, Gasperini changed tactics to 3-4-1-2. As a result they won 2-0 which paved the way for the last 16.
Apart from tactical flexibility, they also have good and effective forward players to counterattack. Call it Duvan Zapata, Josip Ilicic, or Papu Gomez.
Meanwhile, Hans Hateboer and Robin Gosens are the two wing-backs who have been a mainstay. The two often overlap to help attack, but are also strong in defense.
Therefore, against Madrid later, Atalanta is unlikely to have the desire to control the ball or take the initiative to play. With that tactic, Madrid can be inconvenienced considering they look fragile at the back this season.
Madrid must be vigilant, of course. Because Atalanta is again not a weak team. Madrid is in danger if not alert.
