POTMateo: Retegui's encore in October!
Crowned by the Nerazzurri fans on the official Atalanta App
Neck-and-neck, a squaker finish, overtake at the last bend, a "Zona Cesarini" win...
The shortlist to resume Retegui's win in this October pageant deserves a referendum apart. Be it what it may, this time it's up to "El Chapita" to sip his favourite Mate, that much sweeter as the Italo-Argentinian striker imposed himself over Ademola Lookman with a points victory, in pure boxeur style!
The third step of the podium went to a POTM habitué instead, Charles de Ketelaere!
Moving on to the rumble between our POTM heavyweights: 6 rounds in all competitions with both our contenders opting for a peek-a-boo style since the opening gong and upping the ante with each passing game. After Lookman's one-two combo in Gelserkichen (where Mola also lifted the MVP award bestowed by UEFA), Mateo gave tit for tat at the next available opportunity with the hat-trick served to Genoa (with Lookman still leaving his mark with the assist to initiate the goleada) to level the playing field (also in terms of Man of the Match titles) before the International break...
Then came round number 3: with the Penzo stadium as soundstage, Retegui dished out the tie-break to overtake Lookman (who nonetgheless neared the goal time and again) by providing Pašalić with the assist before killing the game off with a finesse lob... With the UCL game against Celtic culminating in a stalemate, only two ties, to be held in a matter of days, remained, to stave off the "televoting menace".
How about the Rush A, then? The birthday match played against Hellas Verona, a goal feast marked by the whole POTM podium etching its name on the scoresheet: first came Retegui, followed suit by CDK, with the "Mola hurricane" rocking the Scaligiers with its brace in third right before Mateo stuck his oar in once again for good measure to make it 10 goals up then. With the two contestants tied once again, assists (2 for Mola) did the trick and tipped the scale in the Nigerian's favour this time. And with the uncanny stalemate still standing on the pitch as both black-and-blue gunslingers shot blanks against Monza, it thus fell to our fans to cut the Gordian knot loose! The rest, as they say, it's now history...
While the rumble between the two POTM titans unraveled at the forefront, right in the background stood a key character in spinning the thread of our riveting plot, a moderator, even a grey eminence if you may, who strung our storytelling along: we're of course talking about our bronze medallist Charles de Ketelaere, who played a pivotal role in keeping the offensive cogs well oiled-up through his plays, an epitome of undiluted class and selflessness, his dashes through the lines, his shake-offs, his pooling, his second-passes... A whole repoertoire to keep the opposing defences on tenterhooks. Despite (partially) waiting in the wings, our number 17 set himself up as the tourbillon of our offensive schemes by pivoting on his trademark "quiet luxury" playing style without shying away from the limelight either thanks to his goal and assists...
"One-Two-Three": the whole Player Of The Month podium in action in our 6-1 walkover v Hellas!
Three goals in less than fifteen minutes, five in the first half, six in total: Atalanta beat Verona fair and square to take temporary hold of the third place.
Enhorabuena, crack! And as for you, dear atalanta fans, keep your smartphones handy: Phase 2 of the October pageants is yet to come...