Olympiacos weren’t good in Bergamo but the final 2-1 gives them the chance to fight on Thursday (24/2, 7.45pm, COSMOTE SPORT 3 HD, Sportish live). It also helps that Atalanta is not in the best shape. In fact, it’s by far the worst competitive and psychological condition in the last three years.

Gasperini’s team has been winning the league since January 9 and counts five games without a win, a record of 0-3-2, while being eliminated from the cup, losing 2-3 at home to Fiorentina. The Italian team was again defeated 1-0 except last Friday.

He suffered in Bergamo from the rhythm played by Atalanta

Of course, this fact does not mean that Olympiacos has an easy task. Finally, last Thursday we saw that this season it is very difficult for Martins players to face Atalanta’s speed.

I read and heard a lot of analysis about the first game, which I think had more to do with the vibe, I want it, and not the image of the game. In fact, Olympiacos suffered for most of the game. The xg was 1.75-0.38, this is the largest opening observed in all 8 Europa League games.

Use the ones that can play vertically at high volume

Pedro Martins, who knew his opponent played aggressively fast football but has a weakness defensively, in fact it is easy to isolate the Atalanta defensive trio, used an arrangement with the fastest possible players.

More specifically, those who can get the ball and attack vertically. He missed at least one central midfielder from his team, leading a 5-4-1 with Agibu alongside Embilas and the goal was in the attacking phase of Masouras, Oniekourou, Tikinio to hit Atalanta’s defensive trio.

Martins’ plan was only justified by the result at halftime, not the reality of the game

Based on the result at half-time, many can agree with him. Ticinio scored a difficult goal outside the penalty area and Olympiakos ended the half at 0-1. But if you look at the details of the first half, it wasn’t quite like that and because of that the game came back easy and normal.

Olympiakos had only 23% possession at half-time, passing with only 60% accuracy, playing from very low meters, easily conceding corners and losing heads.

Martins’ plan certainly wasn’t looking for possession, but going into a game with 35% possession and 85% passing accuracy, which are normal numbers, is one thing and another thing that happened at half-time. In practice, the result of the first half was a fictitious result.

If Martins had seen the picture and not the score it might have been different, since he didn’t bother the team at half-time and let the game run on automatic, it made perfect sense for Atalanta to create the surprise. In practice, the fall came with what Olympiacos gave him. Frequent corner kicks and the ability to win tackles through space.

Isolate the Atalanta Defense Trinity

It’s clear that the Portuguese coach knows his team well and during this period understands that to be lucky in hard-fought matches, Olympiacos need more conservative management. Martins also knows his players must and can isolate the Atalanta defense trio and hit the triple stoppers of Demiral, Jimshiti, Toloi with a game three to three.

Atalanta have excessive aggression that brings the defensive trio up without the support of the defence, even the central midfielders. Martins’ choice in Bergamo to play fastest was clearly aimed at scoring Atalanta in that area.

However, the first game showed that a balance has to be found and he can’t expect anything great from Oniekourou.

Another central midfielder

Another central midfielder to hold the ball to give Olympiakos air through a more confident passing game was missing.

In all likelihood, he will want to keep a mirror system, a 3-4-3, to counter Atalanta’s similar tactics. It’s probably more logical for a midfielder to help Agibu by going to the attacking trio. This way it will fill in a top center. There is also an important detail.

Failures in attack lead to a trio on the Gasperini axis

Gasperini after Zapata, Ilisic, Mirantsuk cannot count on Muriel. What does that mean; It will inevitably lead to a 3-4-1-2. In other words, a third midfielder is added, with Koupmeiners playing higher than Freuler, De Rooney. If Olympiacos had such a big problem keeping and circulating the ball with the logic employed at Bergamo to play Atalanta with just two central midfielders, it’s understandable how difficult things will be for the Koupmainers of beginning in the middle.

Without Muriel and with a 3-4-1-2 formation, the conditions will be different. Since they will officially start as an attacking duo, Boga, Malinowski. Footballers who are by nature to walk backwards, ask for a ball, run it and in this way participate in development.

For Olympiacos to be lucky with Atalanta, it must be clear that they will face a team that will have a player plus in the creation and that the logic used will not change the form in order not to offer Olympiacos the basic possession of the ball. and security in transfers.

To take advantage of the fact that Atalanta are not confident at the moment

A way has to be found to break the Italians’ passing game. If he succeeds and steals, they’re weak defensively. There is also something important that if Olympiacos are successful and stay in the series, they can end up being an important weapon. It was clear in the first game that Gasperini’s players, despite playing a higher pace than Martins’ players, were not confident.

That they don’t win in combination, that there aren’t any players on the field who aggressively made the difference, creates uncertainty. Insecurity that showed throughout the game in the final selection and of course as many times as Olympiacos managed to become threatening.

But let’s be honest, in the first game the difference between the two teams was bigger than the final 2-1 shows. For Olympiacos to be lucky, they must first find a way to change the game’s image. If that happens and he can be really competitive on the pitch, he can certainly meet and exploit Atalanta’s insecurity, defensive weaknesses, playing against an opponent who has a lighter jersey than his own.