The rebirth of Alexey Miranchuk became one of the main events of the new year for domestic fans. There are not many Russians performing in Europe now, and the good performance of each of them is a special joy. And the midfielder in the last ten matches in all tournaments for Atalanta scored three goals and assisted his partners four times.
Its outburst is also surprising because it happened very abruptly and unexpectedly. The footballer's career in Bergamo as a whole is developing ambiguously, and he alternates quality periods with failures. Unfortunately, more of the latter have accumulated. The start of the current season also turned out to be extremely unsuccessful for the athlete, because he had practically no practice.
The back injury he received in July also had an impact, which knocked him out of action for half a month and prevented him from fully preparing. In addition, until recently it was not clear whether he would remain in the team or go on loan again. Gian Piero Gasperini did not see his charge at the start. Constantly using the 3-4-2-1 formation, he opted for Charles De Ketelare and Theun Koepmeiners in the position of inside strikers. And they did not give a reason to sit in the reserve.
Miranchuk practically had no chance. Until December, he appeared in the team only once - in the confrontation with Udinese, and was not remembered for anything. He appeared from the bench six more times. We failed to score a single point using the “goal + pass” system. The athlete himself tried to treat the situation philosophically.
“Thank you for worrying, I hope it’s sincere. In football, things can change quickly. There are injuries and other things. Nobody knows the future. You need to be ready in any situation for the chance that is given to you,” he noted in October.
His agent Vadim Shpinev spoke out much harsher, who in early December directly stated that his client could change the club in the winter.
"Locomotive"? No, we are looking towards Europe. Let's just wait, he plays calmly. Yesterday I scored a very important goal for the team, Lyosha’s mother is happy, everyone is happy. Let the mister think,” Shpinev complained.
However, then came the same revival that forced local fans to take a fresh look at the legionnaire. For starters, he made a stunning substitute appearance in the home match against Milan. In the eight minutes given to him, he managed to force Davide Calabria to foul himself at the cost of a second yellow card and give an effective pass to Luis Muriel. Thus, the Bergamo team snatched an important victory.
After that, the mentor could not help but let the Russian play in the starting lineup for the Europa League meeting with Rakow, and he again assisted Muriel - he made a tackle in the opponent’s half and pushed the ball to his partner, who did not miss his chance. Later, Alexey again ended up in the reserves, but even appearing on the field from the bench, he was useful. For example, in the confrontation with Salernitana he scored and hit the post.
But in 2024, he was in the reserves only once. Already on January 3, the midfielder played his most striking match of the current season with Sassuolo in the 1/8 finals of the Italian Cup. He took part in all three goals. In the debut, the midfielder made a neat pass to Mario Pasalic, who made an effective pass to De Ketelare. In the second half, he left the ball with his heel in the penalty area under a shot from the same Belgian, and then distinguished himself with an accurate low shot into the far range. Moreover, the domestic athlete almost became the author of a masterpiece. Taking advantage of a cross from the right, he fired a roundhouse backheel but hit the crossbar.
“It was an important match, I’m happy for the goal and assist, as well as the team’s performance. Let's move forward. Now we go to Rome, then a meeting with Milan. It won't be easy, but we are ready. What's it like to play every three days? We train less, which is better for the players. I feel good physically, I’m in shape,” Tuttomercatoweb quotes the athlete as saying.
Then Miranchuk was unstoppable. Just a few days later, in the eighth minute, he made a cool throw from the flank to Kopmeyners, who opened the scoring with his header. In the quarter-final of the National Cup with Milan, after the hour he rocked Alejandro Jimenez and forced him to foul in his own penalty area. The Spaniard did not have time to make a clean tackle and knocked down his opponent. Compeiners converted the penalty and brought Atalanta into the next round.
Even in the match with Frosinone, the midfielder, having less than 30 minutes at his disposal, completed a record five passes under attack for himself in the current Serie A. Finally, in the confrontation of the last round of the national championship, Alexey brought victory to the Bergamos over Udinese. He opened up in the penalty area like a real striker and crossed De Ketelare's cross. And shortly before the break, Gianluca Scamacca doubled the hosts' lead.
So, in just a month, the Russian made his way from being a deep substitute to one of the team leaders. Let's say, in terms of the number of assists (5), if we take into account the penalty kicks earned, he is second only to De Ketelare (7) and is on a par with Martin De Ron and Matteo Ruggeri. And according to the “goal + pass” system (3 + 5) he is in the top 5.
It is gratifying that, thanks in part to the legionnaire’s actions, Atalanta is pleased with the results. The match with Milan in the championship turned out to be a turning point in many ways. In the previous four rounds, she scored only a point and fell back in the table. However, the successful ending seemed to breathe life into Gasperini’s charges. Then in Serie A they achieved five wins, one defeat and one draw. We also managed to reach the semi-finals of the Italian Cup.
Speaking about the reasons for the Russian’s high-quality play, one cannot fail to note the departure of one of the best scorers of the black and blue, Ademola Lookman, to the African Cup of Nations. It was he who was most often located at the forefront of the attack. Having lost the Nigerian, the coaching staff tried De Ketelare ahead in some matches. And Miranchuk occupied his position as a right insider.
But he himself took great advantage of the opportunity and looks great in this role. The midfielder often moves from the flank to the center for a subsequent shot with his working left or a subtle pass to his partners. It is no coincidence that he is in fifth place in Atalanta in the current national championship in terms of the average number of passes to teammates (1.1). The Russian is also capable of performing a clear serve, as evidenced by Kopmeiner’s goal against Roma. In addition, he was entrusted with almost all standards. So far it has not been possible to execute an effective cross from the corner, but it is only a matter of time.
It is no less important for the Bergamo football, which is geared towards high pressing, how the midfielder worked on his weaknesses. And his loan to Torino helped him with this, since Ivan Jurich is a follower of a similar game. Now, when he loses, he immediately strives to enter the selection, and does not stop, as often happened before. This is also why Gasperini did not give his ward much time. Particularly noteworthy in this regard was the confrontation in Rome, where he made several tough tackles on the verge of a foul.
But Alexey’s strengths have not gone away. He is responsible in Bergamo for creativity in attack and at any moment is able to make a non-standard decision that will affect the result. He ranks second in the team in terms of the number of rule violations committed (1.3). Often this is the only way to stop it. Moreover, he developed a special understanding with De Ketelare. He scored all three goals from the Belgian's passes and once assisted him himself.
And most importantly, the Russian has gotten into amazing shape. An indicative fact: at the beginning of January, he played three games in ten days and two of them completely, and in the third he was replaced at the end. Even Gasperini, after the match with Roma, noted the excellent physical condition of the football player and called him the best in attack among his players.
Self-confidence also appeared. For the first time during his stay in Bergamo, the midfielder felt like a leader and is enjoying this role. It is noticeable that on the field he feels as comfortable and relaxed as possible and is no longer afraid of making mistakes.
The gift from the club for the domestic athlete was the automatic extension of the contract for another year - until the summer of 2025. And his agent now no longer thinks that the midfielder will leave Atalanta in the near future.
“Lyosha is doing what he loves. In winter it’s unlikely to move anywhere, but in the summer we’ll see. Maybe an offer will come. We are waiting, and not without reason,” Shpinev emphasized.