Roma 0-2 Atalanta Player Ratings as Nicolò Zaniolo comes back to haunt his old club with a late dagger

In what was certainly a big matchup in Serie A, Roma hosted Atalanta as they looked to kick on under new manager Claudio Ranieri. Coming in just a singular point above the relegation zone, things have been pretty desperate at the Stadio Olimpico. On the other hand, Atalanta comes in on red hot form as they look to reinforce their title aspirations with a big result. 

Despite their horrid form in recent times, Ranieri’s side seemed to have a bit of grit and organization about them and posed a fair bit of threat going forward, whilst looking resolute and measured at the back. As for the high-flying Atalanta, they played as they usually do, with a solid tempo, utilizing the flanks to create chances for their attackers. Eventually, the second half saw Atalanta break the deadlock after a deflected goal and then a headed goal from a corner to kill the game off. 

All in all the game made for an exciting watch, with players giving their all for what was certainly a fiery contest. Whilst Atalanta closed the gap on the league leaders, Roma showed that despite their progress, there is still a lot of work to be done by the team and the new manager to salvage the season. 

Roma Player Ratings vs Atalanta

Goalkeeper

Mile Svilar: 7.5/10- Was absolutely lights out at times, with nothing seemingly troubling him. Seemed comfortable collecting long balls, saving long-range efforts, and even the odd close-range header. Was quite unlucky with both goals and couldn’t really have done much to prevent them.

Defenders

Evan Ndicka: 6.5/10- Pretty solid at the back for the most part and not afraid to venture forward at times. Dealt with a lot of the crosses and kept things clean.

Mats Hummels: 7.5/10- Was absolutely superb at the heart of the defense and hardly looked fazed despite some tricky situations. A reassuring wall at the back, seemingly could not be outdone on the night. Was slightly unfortunate to have picked up an injury. 

Gianluca Mancini: 6/10- Slightly questionable on the ball and in defense at times. Needed to be bailed out by his peers on a couple of occasions. Needed to put away his chance, which in all honesty was a sitter in order to equalise for his team.

Midfielders

Angeliño: 6.5/10- In and out of the game at times. Lobbed in a few good crosses but at times struggled to keep up with his opposing number. 

Manu Koné: 7/10- Kept busy, progressing the ball in midfield, and had a good pop at the goal in the first half. Won his duels and was one of the better players on the pitch tonight.

Leandro Paredes: 7/10- Had a strong game in the heart of midfield, often dropping deep to collect the ball and starting attacks. Helped to clean things up for the center halves at times and saw a stunning effort denied by the Atalanta keeper. 

Bryan Cristante: 6.5/10- Slightly less active and involved than what his teammates would have liked. Needed to drive forward on more occasions and contest the ball with more intensity.

Zeki Çelik: 6.5/10- At times very good going forward, linking play and even creating a big opportunity. Was mostly kept to his side of the half with defensive duties, for which he was up to the task. Bit unlucky with the deflection for the first goal.

Attackers

Paulo Dybala: 7/10- Easily the best creative outlet on the pitch on the night. Threaded a few beautiful passes through and was unlucky not to have bagged an assist. Should have kept his composure during heated moments though. 

Artem Dovbyk: 5.5/10- Pretty poor on the night all things considered. Got through on goal a few times and missed a big one-on-one against the goalkeeper. Was very minimal with his holdup play and distribution as well.

Substitutes

Eldor Shomurodov: 6.5/10- Managed to put himself about and hold up the ball, but needed to put away his chance which could have gotten his team back in the game.

Alexis Saelemaekers: 6.5/10- Nearly made an impact off the bench and seemed quite involved going forward. Faded quite a bit after having to switch flanks.

Stephan El Shaarawy: N/A

Nicola Zalewski: N/A

Matías Soulé: N/A

Manager

Claudio Ranieri: 6.5/10- Set his side up well to start the game and saw some good results. Should have shown more intent and desire to win with his substitutions. Will feel like he could have gotten something out of the game.

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Atalanta Player Ratings vs Roma

Goalkeeper

Marco Carnesecchi: 7/10- Had a very active start to the game, needing to keep out a couple of long-range efforts. Always seemed up to the task and never looked too troubled by the Roma attack. Collected the ball bravely on a few occasions. 

Defenders

Sead Kolašinac: 6.5/10- Quite rash at times and lucky not to have picked up a booking sooner. Regardless, showed good, experienced defending, often coming in to help his fellow center-backs and clear the danger.

Isak Hien: 6/10- Struggled to keep up with the Roma attackers at times and needed to be bailed out by his supporting players. Held his nerve under pressure towards the end of the game though.

Odilon Kossounou: 6.5/10- Energetic and unafraid of venturing further forward when needed, even getting into the box and showing some good dribbling ability. Was solid defensively and was quick to come to the aid of his teammates.

Midfielders

Matteo Ruggeri: 7/10- Ran the channel well, linking up with Lookman at times and putting in some delectable crosses, which found the intended more often than not. 

Marten de Roon: 6.5/10- Played in the deeper role helping dictate play and cleaning up after the center halves. Could have been slightly more involved but chose to play the safe passes more often.

Éderson: 6.5/10- Combative in midfield and drove the team further up the pitch. Made a lot of tackles and important interceptions. Was outdone a few times though and missed a big chance to close out the game.

Raoul Bellanova: 7/10- Electric on the right flank, outpaced his man with relative ease at times, and delivered some beautiful crosses at times. Often initiated attacks all on his own. 

Attackers

Charles De Ketelaere: 6.5/10- Couldn’t really impact the game despite his physicality to get into the Roma defense and cause problems. Possibly should have done better with a big chance in the first half that he nodded on without much conviction.

Ademola Lookman: 6.5/10- Was involved in the buildup to quite a few attacks. Did well on his part to keep things moving but provided little threat of his own when it came to scoring or even giving the Roma defense something to do. 

Mateo Retegui: 6/10- Struggled today, despite his prolific form in the league this season. Was physically outmatched and unable to really find a good situation or opportunity to try and poach a goal for his tally.

Substitutes

Nicolò Zaniolo: 7.5/10- Immediately looked like a threat after coming on and showed the desire to get on the scoresheet. Managed to do so with a clever header, which sealed the game and secured vital points for his side.

Lazar Samardžić: N/A

Juan Cuadrado: N/A

Marco Brescianini: N/A

Berat Djimsiti: N/A

Manager

Gian Piero Gasperini: 7.5/10- Could not micromanage his side on the night from the touchline and was resigned to only the half-time team talk to make a difference. Did exactly that and influenced the game with his decisions which helped break the deadlock.

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