Liverpool’s Europa League opponents Atalanta boast FOUR former Premier League outsiders and Italy’s best goalkeeper Teun Koopmeiners ‘Robocop’… but their declining form means now is the perfect time to face them

Pep Guardiola once said that facing Atalanta was “like going to the dentist, you always feel a bit of fear and pain”.

Only six Italian teams in history have won at Anfield: Genoa, Roma, Fiorentina, Udinese, Atalanta and Inter Milan. Atalanta will try to repeat history on Thursday evening and overcome another obstacle towards the Europa League final.

Today, the team coached by Gian Piero Gasperini is very different from what was once called the “Cinderella” of the Champions League, attacking and scaring all the big clubs.

This attack, composed of Duvan Zapata, Joseph Ilicic and “Papu” Gomez, was brilliant and harmonious, while today the team has changed its type of play and radically altered its DNA.

They play 3-4-2-1 and Gianluca Scamacca is the spearhead of a team that plays aggressively but has lost the imagination and verve that had characterized those happy European experiences.

Liverpool are hoping to bounce back after being held to a draw by Manchester United.

Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta are a decent team but not as strong as a few years ago

Liverpool will find a very well organized team but whose batteries seem exhausted after an exceptional first part of the season.

Atalanta is going through a moment of slight decline after defeats against Cagliari in the league and Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia. So this could be a good time to face them for Liverpool.

The three-man defense becomes a five-man defense when the opposition’s attack and this particular tactical structure could pose problems for Liverpool.

Today, Atalanta plays less “European” football and more “Italian”. They have learned to defend better and take fewer risks, which could well short-circuit Liverpool’s plans.

KOOPMEINERS IS LIKE ROBOCOP

Teun Koopmeiners is the man who scares Jurgen Klopp the most and requires the most attention.

This is a midfielder that Gasperini has forged as a ‘raider’, a standard-bearer with freedom of movement around the board for the Nerazzurri, playing behind Scamacca and attacking spaces with surgical precision.

Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Allister, the three likely starters on Thursday evening, will have to take care of him while losing sight of him.

Teun Koopmeiners’ huge character will require Liverpool midfielder’s full attention

The Dutchman is one of the most powerful players in Serie A and plays with surgical precision

In Italy, they have long figured out how to block him – tie a man behind him for 90 minutes who can limit his movements.

Koopmeiners is the best midfielder in Europe in terms of performance. He has physical strength and technical qualities, while tactically he is a central midfielder who, with time and experience, has understood how to be the decisive element.

In Serie A, he scored 11 goals and provided three assists in 27 matches. He looks like “Robocop”, has a physique of steel and will probably be the player to build a cage next to.

Another fundamental player for Atalanta is Isak Hien. A physically impeccable defender, he is strong in acrobatics and human control of opposing defenders.

Liverpool will need to hit Atalanta with speed, bypassing the Swedish giant who occupies most of the central defensive zone.

Hien is another physical Atalanta player and Liverpool would be better off getting around him

DE ROON AND EDERSON ARE TWO WORKING SQUIRRELS

The presence of Marten De Roon and Ederson will be fundamental to stemming Liverpool’s attacks.

Like “Chip and Dale”, protagonists of the Disney cartoon, they are two hard-working Nerazzurri squirrels who will erect a barrier to prevent the Liverpool midfielder from entering the penalty area head-on.

For both midfielders, a perfect performance will be necessary from an aerobic and mental point of view.

In each match, they cover an average of 10 km of distance and will certainly play a fundamental role in the “destruction” of Liverpool’s maneuvers.

Both are the bodyguards of Charles De Ketelaere, announced by Gasperini as being in great physical shape.

Maarten De Roon puts pressure on Fiorentina in recent Coppa Italia draw

Atalanta will be boosted by the return to form of Charles De Ketelaere for the match against Liverpool

The Belgian half-striker is the only Atalanta player who plays between midfield and attack, and who will try to wedge himself between Liverpool’s defensive lines.

If De Roon and Ederson manage to withstand the Red River shockwave, the balance of the match will likely tip in favor of Atalanta.

THE “SPIES” OF LIVERPOOL SECRETS

The legendary slogans “You’ll never walk alone” on the gate and “It’s Anfield” in the tunnel could intimidate Atalanta players as many are having their first European experience.

Atalanta must not make the mistake of waiting for Liverpool in their half, they must play one-on-one trying to win the main midfield duels.

The English experience of their four Premier League players will be fundamental in this.

Davide Zappacosta, Scamacca, Sead Kolasinac and Ademola Lookman know English football, are Premier League experts and understand that a match against Liverpool will be a very important test.

They will personally want to add to English football’s regret at losing them by trying to hurt Liverpool, and it will all have been the focus of Gasperini’s pre-match technical discussions.

Former Arsenal player Sead Kolasinac has become the ‘silent lynchpin’ of his team’s defence.

Kolasinac became the silent fulcrum of Atalanta’s defense and raised his technical level by guaranteeing experience and charisma.

Rafael Toloi’s slow decline required a new asset capable of leading the defense and the Croatian giant proved to be an excellent signing without spending a single cent.

The former Arsenal star will have the task of keeping Liverpool’s attackers at bay while trying to open up the game for Atalanta’s full-backs.

Blocking Kolasinac means Liverpool can stop moves that start with him at source.

ATALANTA IS THE BEST GOALKEEPER IN ITALY

Atalanta number 1 Marco Carnesecchi is currently Italy’s best goalkeeper, superior even to Tottenham’s Guglielmo Vicario and PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The match against Liverpool would have been fundamental to understand where his growth is, allowing the goalkeeper to measure his resistance to stress, but Juan Musso will play against the Reds.

He will leave Atalanta at the end of the season but an excellent match could reignite his ambitions to play for a big club. For Liverpool, Carnesecchi’s absence will be an advantage.

Marco Carnesecchi, considered the best Italian goalkeeper, will miss the match against Liverpool

During this season, Liverpool have won 22 and drawn three of their 25 home games in all competitions, which confirms how difficult it will be for Atalanta.

The last team to beat Liverpool at Anfield was Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid, 5-2, in the Champions League round of 16 on February 23, 2023.

Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota (absent due to injury) and Luis Diaz… the whole team is a goal machine with 82 scored between these five players.

Atalanta’s defense will have to maintain its tactical sense and manage the tempo by attacking aggressively.