Russian fans received another reason to be proud. Lately, Alexey Miranchuk has been pleasantly surprising, who has finally become one of his own at Atalanta. He is praised by his coaches and almost idolized by the Italian public.
Moreover, all the metamorphoses took place literally in a month!
Could return to Lokomotiv
At the end of November, Miranchuk’s prospects at Atalanta were vague. The team’s head coach, Gian Piero Gasperini, marinated the Russian on the bench, stroking his pride with rare substitution appearances. Alexey played only one match in Serie A from start to finish – this was in mid-November, when Atalanta shared points with Udinese (1:1).
The reserve status did not suit Miranchuk. There were rumors that the Russian would change the club in January. Several options were considered, including Alexey’s native Moscow Lokomotiv. The footballer’s agent Vadim Shpinev partially confirmed Miranchuk’s possible departure, while emphasizing that the foreign club remains the priority.
It seemed that the midfielder was destined to leave Atalanta without becoming the team’s main player. However, in a short time everything changed.
Alexey is in exceptional form
In early December, Miranchuk spent 90 minutes on the field in a Serie A match with Torino, but his team lost (0:3). But in the next game with Milan, Alexey showed his worth: coming on as a substitute at the end of the second half, he made an assist to Luis Muriel. Atalanta won with a score of 3:2, and after that the Russian blossomed.
Alexey Miranchuk / Photo: © Jonathan Moscrop / Contributor / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru
Then there was an assist in the victorious Europa League match with Polish Rakow (4:0) and Miranchuk’s first goal of the season – he scored against Salernitana in Serie A. Surprisingly, he continued to be kept on the bench and released only at the end. This continued until the end of December.
In the new year, Miranchuk was unstoppable. The game with Sassuolo in the Italian Cup became a benefit for Alexei, who scored and assisted, and Atalanta won with a score of 3:1. In a drawn match with Roma (1:1), Miranchuk made an assist. The Russian can also take credit for the cup victory over Milan (2:1) – it was he who earned the penalty that brought victory to the Bergamasques.
Over the last seven matches, Miranchuk scored two goals and gave four assists. Even Gasperini, who had not previously complained about the player, noted him.
“He’s in exceptional shape now.” I brought him back into the lineup and let him play 90 minutes. “He was the most active in attack,” Gasperini said after the match with Roma, as quoted by Tuttoatalanta.
“Welcome back, Tsar Miranchuk”
Of course, such progress could not pass by the Italian fans. They immediately appreciated Alexey’s performance and began to praise him in every possible way. A post by user Marco Macagnino has gone viral on social networks, in which he gives the most flattering assessment of Miranchuk.
“If Miranchuk had played in 38 out of 38 matches, he could have received the Golden Ball,” a fan left this message on social networks.
Alexey Miranchuk and Tijani Reinders / Photo: © Marco Luzzani / Stringer / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru
There were plenty of other complimentary comments too.
“Welcome back, Tsar Miranchuk,” wrote Francesco Simoncini.
— After the victory over Milan, Holm, Ederson, Koop and Miranchuk deserve special mention. The latter is slowly but surely becoming a real leader,” emphasized ClerkenwellGooner.
— Miranchuk is on fire! Watching him play is a pleasure,” added Sasha – Football Scout.
There were, of course, negative comments. They are mainly related to the award of a penalty in the last match with Milan: some believe that Alexey fell in the penalty area without touching Alex Jimenez. But the controversial episode does not detract from the merits of Miranchuk, who played a really high-quality match.
Will be remembered with a kind word
What will happen to Alexey at Atalanta is the question. Conversations about his departure, of course, have died down. Now everyone is wondering how long such a charged and well-tuned Miranchuk will last.
His rise is associated with Gasperini’s personnel problems. The coach temporarily lost Ademola Lookman, Atalanta’s top scorer, who left for the Nigerian national team. For now, Miranchuk is replacing him, and he’s doing great. But where is the guarantee that Alexey will not sit on the bench when Lukman returns?
However, the Russian has already proven that he can benefit his team. Even if Atalanta decides to get rid of Miranchuk, then after such an impressive period there will definitely be no shortage of contenders for his acquisition.
Watch live broadcasts of Italian Championship matches on the channels of the Match holding company, as well as on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
2024-01-11 07:43:28
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