History has been littered with examples of those who have swooped in when backs are against the wall; when things aren’t going right; when the people need a hero. Cometh the hour, cometh the man (and the accompanying tactical analysis).
But how does one define Alejandro ‘Papu’ Gómez? His Atalanta side have not needed their talismanic captain to save them this season. Rather, theyve subjected Italian football fans and opponents to a season-long flurry of blows to the head. Gómez has been the ringleader of an Atalanta side which have bullied the first division. They look set to have outmuscled both Milanese sides for a third-place finish, and their run to the Coppa Italia final saw a 3-0 takedown of Juventus.
This player tactical analysis shall look closely on what has made Gómez a leading orchestrator in Atalanta’s remarkable 2018/19 season. To do this, we shall primarily focus on how Atalanta have used the Argentine as the architect for their attacking foundations.
Rolling in the deep
Serie A offers some of the most cramped defensive zones in all of Europe. Italian top division sides faced 230.65 completed passes within 20 yards of their own goal this season. Defensively, their opponents average 10.797 passes in their half before an intervention occurs. Whilst not matching the English Premier League, these statistics demonstrate how far the Italian game has improved. Italian sides attack with ferocity but must contend against equally able defences.
A tactical analysis shows that Gómez has found an excellent way of mitigating Serie A’s defensive prowess, however. His place in the floating free role enables him to come remarkably deep, even when Atalanta are in advanced areas. Gómez is their attacking lynchpin, but its often from deeper positions that his presence is seriously felt.
According to understat.com, in both xGChain (28.94) and xGBuild-up (16.23), Gómez ranks second-highest in each for Atalanta. Essentially, any moves where Gómez is involved, Atalanta look extremely dangerous.
Gómez’s intuitiveness allows him to make manipulative movements. He can see the areas the ball should travel to before his markers even realise the significance of his deft manoeuvres. The below graphics demonstrate Atalanta patiently building a single attack against Udinese. Gómez constantly moved into areas to relaunch attacks, whilst his marker frequently underestimated his threat.
