We feel like losing against this Real Madrid of monsters, but what a spectacle. The Nerazzurri only think about defending themselves: Lazio counts more…
Mbappé, Vinicius, Bellingham: wow, we’re going to lose against these monsters. Even if you are Atalanta, even if you showed the world that you could beat anyone and therefore you thought you could do it even against Real Madrid, champions of Europe. But the night in Bergamo is and must still be a party, because the Gasp gang competed on equal terms with the best team in the world, the one with the most talent, champions and history. And because the match was beautiful, a hymn to football. Re-read the names of Ancelotti’s scorers: Mbappé, Vinicius, Bellingham, three of the top six in the 2024 Ballon d’Or ranking, champions who together will have a value approaching half a billion euros.
ederson and retegui
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Well, we’re going to lose against these monsters. Especially since the race for direct qualification to the round of 16 of the Champions League remains possible, even if a positive result in the last match in Barcelona could be needed. Between De Ketelaere’s perfect penalty and Lookman’s usual goal, we saw a gigantic Ederson: the opponents are of the highest level, he continues to dominate the pitch with everything he has, feet and running and intelligence. And in the end Gasp would have deserved the equalizer, except that what you don’t expect happened to Retegui: in a season in which he only had to touch the ball for it to end up in the net, he sent one out that seemed impossible to miss.
they are not all owners
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Atalanta played it looking the European (and Spanish) champions in the face, Inter preferred to watch their backs at the home of the German champions. It fell when it seemed to have the equalizer in hand, at the last minute, also failing the Champions League unbeaten record (no one has ever finished the first six matches without conceding a goal). The disappointment is great, but the Nerazzurri were looking for it a bit. Inzaghi prepared a defensive game, very cautious, too. Sommer took little risk, although the Germans hit the crossbar at the start; his colleague Kovar never. Moreover, Simone’s choice was clear from the moment he decided to field just four of his starting players (Sommer, Bastoni, Calhanoglu, Thuram), partly due to injuries (Acerbi, Pavard, Dumfries) and largely by choice (Barella, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco, Lautaro). And don’t try to fool us with the “they’re all starters” game: if there are those who have played all the important matches for years and those who never play them, the starters are the first and not all. Then it’s true that the goal came when Dimarco, Barella and Lautaro entered, but the impact on the match had been given beforehand, right from the start. Let’s say, in short, that Simone considered Monday’s match against Lazio more important than this one in Leverkusen. And maybe he’s right, because in the Champions League he could even afford to slow down while still remaining near the top of the league table, while in the championship losing ground is risky. You stand to lose if you play it like that. Two games, two defeats: the ranking of Atalanta and Inter worsens and our ranking worsens in the race for fifth place in the Champions League.
now the other three
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Let’s see if Milan, Juve and also Bologna will be able to cheer us up (but the rossoblù’s situation is objectively desperate: perhaps not even three wins out of three would be enough to give them qualification). We only expect victory from the Rossoneri, because the opponent – even though he is also a champion in his country – is decidedly inferior and because the match against Red Star is played at San Siro. Fonseca has the possibility of appearing even close to the top eight, the calendar in the second part of the journey makes it easier for him, with a success he would even overtake Atalanta. The situation regarding Juve is different, because they have one point less than Milan and, above all, they face a much more complicated path. Starting with tonight’s match against Manchester City. There is probably no better time to face Guardiola’s team: they have won only one of their last nine matches, and have lost six; it is accompanied by tensions and nervousness also due to the investigation affecting the company; he has an impressive number of injuries (he competes with Juventus for the European record). But they remain a very strong opponent, who can be reborn at any moment, and the Bianconeri today need everything except an empty pass. Motta equalized too much, in Serie A the top is already quite far away, the fans questioned the new course with groans and whistles after the 2-2 draw with Bologna. The match against City, for this Juve, is a big risk. But also a great opportunity.
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