Chance For Caldara To Impress Parent Club As Atalanta Host Juventus In Coppa Italia Semi Final

Chance For Caldara To Impress Parent Club As Atalanta Host Juventus In Coppa Italia Semi Final
10:01, 30 Jan 2018

On Tuesday evening, Atalanta face the latest step in their thrilling adventure, welcoming Juventus to the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia for the first leg of a Coppa Italia semifinal clash. While the Bianconeri – who have won the last three editions of that competition – are regulars at this late stage, the Bergamo based club have not gone this far in over twenty years.

Having qualified for the Europa League last term, Gian Piero Gasperini’s men have remarkably continued their good form despite losing a raft of talented players over the summer. Serie A’s bigger clubs picked off various members of the squad, yet Atalanta have also progressed to the knockout rounds in Europe after wins over Everton and Olympique Lyonnais while still remaining in contention domestically.

They currently sit seventh, and the remarkable work done by the club, their players and Coach in achieving this success was discussed in this previous column, but Tuesday’s clash with Juventus will be particularly special for one member of the Orobici starting XI. Just over a year ago, the Old Lady recognised the talent of Mattia Caldara, signing him at a cost of €15 million plus a further €10 million in related bonuses.

The young defender was immediately loaned back to Atalanta, recognition that he needed the regular playing time Gasperini could offer, a chance to develop more of his skills and the fact that Juve already had five highly regarded central defenders in their squad. At the time it was hard to see a path into the team for Caldara, but over the past twelve months that situation has markedly changed.

Leonardo Bonucci surprisingly departed for AC Milan in the summer and Andrea Barzagli can no longer be called upon to play two matches a week, both factors that leave the door ajar for another player to step up. Medhi Benatia has proven to be a superb acquisition, now cemented as a first-choice member of the side next to Giorgio Chiellini as the Italy international continues to be the clubs most reliable stopper.

But behind that duo Max Allegri has issues. All three of Benatia, Barzagli and Chiellini are somewhat injury prone, while Father Time remains undefeated and the trio will be 31, 37 and 34 respectively when the 2018/19 campaign gets underway. Benedikt Höwedes arrived on loan from Schalke 04 in the summer at a cost of €3.5 million plus €3 million in bonuses with an option to buy for a further €13 million, yet he has spent the last few months on the sidelines. His Juve “career” thus far spans just 68 minutes and it is hard to imagine the Bianconeri shelling out such a sum on another defender who turns 30 next month.

Then there is Daniele Rugani.

Remember when he was the next great Italian defender playing every minute of Serie A for Empoli without even collecting a yellow card? Countless videos of his ability were shared online, his impressive stats cited by many – including this writer – as “proof” that he was the injection of youth the Bianconeri backline so sorely needed.

Yet rather than fulfil Allegri’s belief that Rugani was “the future of Juventus and Italian football,” he now looks to have become a cautionary tale of misplaced hope. He has struggled to make an impression in Turin, making just 55 appearances in all competitions despite now being in his third season with the club. It is startling to think that at the end of 2016/17, Mario Lemina – who since left for Southampton – had featured in more matches than the 23-year-old, and it is now worth considering whether Juve would be prepared to see the defender move on too.

Atalanta v Juventus - Match Centre.

Simply put, Allegri seems wholly unconvinced by Rugani, while other players are given far more opportunities. The Coach is routinely criticised for his cautionary approach with new or young players, but that must be countered with facts and Rodrigo Bentancur has made more appearances than Rugani this term. Despite being only 20, arriving in the summer from Boca Juniors with no experience of Serie A or the Italian language, it was the Uruguayan midfielder who was trusted to start against Barcelona at Camp Nou while the defender was dropped from the team altogether.

Rugani seems to lack the ability to cope with the pressure that comes with playing for a club of Juve’s stature, and it is that unknowable character trait that Caldara must prove he possesses if he is not to follow a similar path. Having tasted European action with Atalanta and delivered excellent performances at Goodison Park and in Lyon, he has certainly played at a level that Empoli never managed while also bagging goals against Juve, Lazio, Roma and Napoli.

Clearly unfazed by big games, he will need another sterling performance on Tuesday, both to help Atalanta’s hopes of reaching the Coppa Italia final and showing his parent club he is ready to make the step up. Daniele Rugani looks set to be yesterday’s news, but Mattia Caldara could well be the Juventus defender of tomorrow.

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