Zapata lost for at least another 2-3 months: the Goddess thinks about how to replace him

The sentence will come only today, with the Atalanta statement, but the device is already known: Duvàn Zapata’s injury on Sunday is serious, the stop will be long. How many? It is a relapse, on Sunday he returned after almost 50 days and yesterday the impression was that it will be necessary to assume an absence at least as long: at least two, if not three, months. In some cases, caution doubles, especially – given the recovery time from previous injuries – in the case of the Colombian. But there is a worse hypothesis: those 2-3 months may not be enough. It will depend on the outcome of the further, necessary investigations, scheduled between last night and this morning. The hint to be confirmed is that the injury to the left adductor, the same that had stopped him on December 21, is at the insertion of the tendon, which is feared to be affected: the dynamics of the stop, an unnatural movement of the leg, would also make him think. following a slip. In the case: an even more delicate problem, with the need for intervention.

The management of the return

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However it will go, a blow that is difficult to reabsorb: how much the player’s stretch will be. And a handicap that, even in the light of two fresh precedents (a much less serious relapse of Toloi and the very important one of Gosens), which generated tensions, opens an important parenthesis: on the management of muscle injuries by the medical staff, that changed this year. And also a debate on the always difficult balance to find between the need of the technicians to quickly recover the players and the appropriate caution in certain cases. As things went on Sunday, the suspicion of a short circuit in the management of the return is legitimate: it was not (only) bad luck, Zapata on Sunday was not 100% ready to return to the field. And perhaps for this reason he was not even fully convinced that he could do it, especially after his previous week of work at Atalanta-Cagliari: a little in the group and a little apart. But now there is no going back and today three reflections are necessary.

Changed perspectives?

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The first: without Zapata, how much the prospects of the Goddess change in view of a European qualification. The risk is concrete: perhaps the only truly irreplaceable of the squad is out. Gasperini has never denied that, with or without Zapata, they are two different teams and it is enough to see his impact in the lap of 6 ‘on Sunday. In addition, his stop comes at the crucial moment of the season and with an overdose of commitments: to be faced-today-even without Ilicic and Miranchuk. Surrendered Piccoli, the only striker is Muriel, who has different technical qualities and does not have the same physical stamina as the Colombian, to always hold the 90 ‘, and even in several close matches. Second reflection: now Gasperini will have to “reprogram” Atalanta without Duvàn, perhaps with an intuition of his.

Alternatives and released

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At the moment, due to the characteristics of the players in the squad, the “false nine” hypothesis seems complicated to follow, if not inventing an interpreter. With the three game systems (so far) of reference, the highly studied turnover of the coach will become even more important and in any case a more dynamic interpretation of any of the three offensive modules: the movements of Muriel, not as a center forward, will require a different attack from the opposing area, with a more targeted involvement of Boga and Mihaila and an even greater contribution from the insertions of the midfielders. Third reflection: if today Zapata’s stop will force us to consider the hypothesis that the season is over or almost over, we could also think of going the extreme way of monitoring freedoms, including foreigners. From the suggestion Diego Costa down, the market does not offer big names (see the list on the side), but it would still be an emergency solution to at least increase the number of options. Maybe hoping to catch the right joker.