Sarri's tactical switch pays off again as Atalanta see off Pafos
A second win in four days eased some of the pressure on Maurizio Sarri, who praised his side's game management but renewed his criticism of a congested calendar after another injury.
Atalanta beat Pafos 3-1 in Bergamo to open their Conference League league phase campaign, with Maurizio Sarri pointing to tactical improvement even as a fresh injury to Giacomo Raspadori soured the night.
Eljif Elmas put the hosts ahead inside the first minute, scoring within 50 seconds of kick-off. Raspadori added a second from the penalty spot, though he picked up a problem in doing so, and Gianluca Scamacca made it three before half-time. Pafos pulled one back late through Biel, denying Atalanta a clean sheet.
Speaking to Sky Sport Italia, Sarri said his side had handled the game better than their recent Serie A outing against Venezia, where he felt Atalanta created plenty of chances but lost their shape. He said that on this occasion the team made sharper decisions about when to play directly and when to hold the ball, and gave Pafos almost nothing until the late goal.
Sarri also warned against underestimating the Cypriot side, noting that Pafos had lost 3-2 to Fiorentina last season and only narrowly lost to Juventus, evidence, in his view, that the gap in quality does not always translate onto the pitch in these fixtures.
A second straight switch away from 4-3-3
The win followed Atalanta's 3-1 victory over Venezia on Monday, which ended a run of three consecutive Serie A defeats. In both matches Sarri moved away from his customary 4-3-3 and set the team up in a 4-2-3-1 instead.
That repeated change is worth noting on its own terms. Sarri has long been associated with a possession-based 4-3-3 built around specific profiles in midfield and attack, so adjusting the base shape across back-to-back matches, in different competitions, suggests he is prioritising control and defensive solidity over imposing a fixed system immediately. He said the switch had made Atalanta more dangerous going forward, but added that greater balance and defensive solidity still need to follow.
Another muscular injury, and another complaint about the calendar
Raspadori's issue is being described as a reported relapse of the flexor problem he suffered while on international duty in September. It adds to an already long absentee list that includes Giorgio Scalvini, Franck Kessie, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Isak Hien, Odilon Kossounou and Raoul Bellanova.
Sarri used the post-match comments to renew his criticism of the fixture schedule, arguing that muscular injuries are piling up across the game, not just at Atalanta. He said players are subjected to what he called an absurd calendar, and that the consequences were only logical. He pointed specifically to Scalvini's injury on return from international duty as an example, and said he was amazed the Players' Association had not spoken out.
That frustration lines up with a pattern already visible in Atalanta's squad list this season, where a cluster of injuries has coincided with international breaks. Whether or not the calendar is the direct cause in each case, the accumulation of muscular issues across multiple players is now shaping team selection on a near-weekly basis.
Adapting a club built on a different identity
Sarri was candid about the scale of the adjustment both he and Atalanta are making to each other. He described the club as a model for any coach to work at, while admitting he had never encountered a situation quite like this one, shaped by years of a very different footballing style under Gian Piero Gasperini and, more recently, Raffaele Palladino.
He said the players are working hard and that he hopes there is significant room for them to improve further. Asked what Atalanta could realistically achieve this season, Sarri said he did not know what was possible in the first year, but that the club had set itself a target for the medium to long term.
Atalanta have now won two of their last two matches across Serie A and the Conference League, having arrived at this fixture on the back of three straight league defeats. The next test will show whether the 4-2-3-1 and the balance Sarri is chasing can hold up against stronger opposition, with the injury list still growing.