Born in Monza in the north of Italy, Matteo Pessina joined local club Monza where he impressed for two seasons before joining Milan in the summer of 2015. After three seasons of no first team appearances for Milan, and three successive loan spells, Pessina left the Lombardy capital and moved 40km northeast to Bergamo, joining the high-octane Atalanta. Two successive loan spells followed, with Pessina impressing massively while on loan at Hellas Verona in the 2019/20 Serie A season.
It was this season under Ivan Jurić where Pessina was finally able to establish himself as a first team regular. Pessina featured 35 times for Verona that season, with the majority of his appearances coming as an attacking midfielder, but was also occasionally deployed as a #8 or a #6. This attracted the attention of Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini, who most likely intended Pessina to initially become a squad player when he returned from his loan spell. Instead, with the slow start to Aleksey Miranchuk’s time in Bergamo, and the fallout between Gasperini and club captain Alejandro “Papu” Gomez, Pessina is now one of the first names on the team sheet for La Dea.
Positioning and fit in Gasperini’s system
In regards to position, Pessina is able to play anywhere in midfield, though he mostly excels playing in a #10 position behind the strikers, which is exactly where Gasperini plays him. When on loan at Hellas Verona, Pessina played in a similar formation, with Jurić deploying a 3-4-2-1, whereas Gasperini deploys a very similar 3-4-1-2. Since he has been back in Atalanta’s starting side, Pessina has been deployed in that #10 role just behind the two strikers, usually Zapata and Iličič. This positioning allows Pessina the freedom to be able to roam from touchline to touchline to receive the ball. However, another thing that Pessina does well in his position is drop deep between the opposition defensive lines to receive the ball in space. This then allows him the time and space to turn and find a teammate for a pass.
While Pessina is deployed in a #10 position in Gasperini’s system, this positioning is fluid. Aside from his free-roaming tendencies, the front three of Atalanta consistently will interchange positions to get the best possible scenarios in attack. Oftentimes, Pessina will move up top for a short time into a more advanced role, with one of the strikers (usually Iličić), dropping into Pessina’s position and building up the play. Tactically, Pessina is a great fit for Gasperini’s high octane attacking system, and could be the natural heir apparent in that position to Papu Gomez.
Off the ball movement
As a creative, attack-minded midfielder, much is expected of you when moving off-the-ball during any given match. Under Gian Piero Gasperini, this expectation skyrockets. As already mentioned briefly, Pessina will interchange with the front two often, and also move between the lines to find space to receive a pass. This section will detail these movements in more detail.
In regards to moving between the lines often, whenever Atalanta are in possession of the ball with their back three, Pessina enjoys dropping deep into the midfield, and usually positions himself in between the opposition lines. This allows him to receive the ball with plenty of time and space to turn and find a teammate with his excellent range of passing, which will be discussed later. As the ball progresses further up the pitch without the involvement of Pessina, he will drift wide left or right, depending on the position of the ball, and also will move centrally. This is if Atalanta are progressing up the pitch in a more methodical manner. In fast break counter attacking situations, Pessina likes to stay on the edge of the 18-yard box for a possible cut-back opportunity.
When it comes to his involvement in Atalanta’s fluid front three, Pessina fits into the system like a glove on a hand. No matter who is put into Gasperini’s front three, they are always expected to constantly interchange positions and confuse the opposition defenders. Oftentimes, Pessina will alternate positions with Josip Iličić, or he will form a front three with Iličić and Zapata. When it comes to how Pessina moves off the ball, his movement is that of a much more experienced player, not of one who has had multiple loan spells, and is now entering his first full season with a parent club.
Range of passing & creativity
Another thing that stands out in Matteo Pessina’s game is the range of passing that he possesses. He also has an innate ability to be able to pass the ball in tight spaces, and also enjoys playing one-twos with his teammates. When Pessina drops deeper into space to receive the ball, he is constantly looking over his shoulder to make sure he has the space to make a turn. Once he is able to turn, he then scans and looks for the correct pass to play to a teammate. Whether that pass is a 5-yard pass to his left, a 15-yard pass forward, or a switch of play to a teammate on the opposite touchline, Pessina possesses it all in his arsenal. With a pass accuracy of 86% so far this season as well, Pessina’s range of passing has been a valuable addition back into this Atalanta side.
Creativity is something that is an interesting part of Pessina’s game. While his xA per 90 of 0.09 and his xG per 90 of 0.12 are both below the league average in his position of 0.15 and 0.18 respectively, in Atalanta’s system, there is more to an attacking midfielder than what is contributed in goals and assists. There are two other metrics that stand out in regards to how Pessina contributes to Atalanta’s attacks, and show how he is constantly involved in build-up play and creativity, even if he does not make the final pass.
These two metrics are xGBuildup per 90 and xGChain per 90. The first metric is how much possession the player is involved in, and this does not count any key passes or assists. The second is the total amount of possession that the player is involved in. Pessina’s xGBuildup per 90 is 0.59, while his xGChain per 90 is 0.78, both numbers crushing the league average in his position of 0.21 and 0.43 respectively. So, while Pessina may not have many goals and assists to his name in Atalanta colours, his constant contribution to the build-up play which leads to goals show his true worth as an advanced playmaker.
A vocal presence
Another trait that Pessina possesses is his communication skills on the pitch. Just by watching any Atalanta match that Pessina played in will help ring this true. In moments where Pessina has found space in between lines in order to receive a pass, Pessina will point to the spot that he wants the ball, and occasionally shout if he is not getting noticed. He is also not afraid to call out teammates that are in the wrong position. This was evident on a throw-in for the opposition in Atalanta’s match against Sassuolo. One of Pessina’s teammates was not marking the correct man, and Pessina pointed and instructed him where to go. These qualities that Pessina possess could make him a good captain choice for Atalanta in the future.
Work rate defensively
When it comes to his work rate, Pessina is a player who constantly moves up and down the pitch to either defend or press the opposition player in possession of the ball. Of the front three, Pessina is the player who will track back the most in order to try and regain possession of the ball. He only occasionally presses, and that is only when he spots an opportunity that calls for a press. When it comes defending in the attacking third, Pessina will nip the ball away from the opposition player if possible, but still lacks some polishing in the defensive side of his game. With a duel success rate of only 36% this season, and an aerial duel success rate of only 47%, these are two areas of his game that he could improve.
Conclusion
With rumours swirling that Milan are circling to possibly bring Pessina back to the San Siro, Atalanta should do everything that they can to try and hold onto Pessina. While he still could improve a few aspects of his game, all in all he is a very complete attacking midfielder. Also, with the situation surrounding Papu Gomez unclear, and Aleksey Miranchuk still adjusting to life in Italy, holding onto Matteo Pessina is crucial for Atalanta to continue progressing this season. In regards to international level, Pessina has already secured one cap for Italy, and there is no doubt that he will continue to be monitored by Roberto Mancini. However, in the short-term, La Dea have to do whatever they can to hold onto one of their brightest young stars.
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