Atalanta midfielder Eljif Elmas was sent off during his side's 3-1 home victory over Venezia, leaving Maurizio Sarri's squad facing a suspension for a player whose contributions have been modest but steady in an uneven opening to the Serie A 2026-27 campaign.
The dismissal arrives at a delicate moment. Atalanta sit tenth with nine points from six matches — three wins, three defeats, no draws — a profile that suggests a side capable of beating the teams below them but yet to find consistency against stronger opposition. Losing Elmas to suspension, even temporarily, removes an option from a midfield Sarri will need to rotate given that Raoul Bellanova and Giorgio Scalvini also left the Venezia match with injuries. Sarri described Scalvini's situation as the more concerning of the two.
Elmas, 27, has appeared in five Serie A matches this season, contributing one assist and averaging a rating of 6.62 — functional rather than influential numbers. His AI overall sits at 64 out of 100, with a potential of 68, which frames him accurately: a reliable squad piece rather than a difference-maker, the kind of player whose absence is felt through accumulation rather than individual brilliance. A red card that removes him from the next fixture is therefore a practical problem rather than a crisis, but it is a problem Atalanta did not need.
Sarri was pointed in his post-match remarks on the dismissal, stating that VAR "has nothing to do with real football" — a position the coach has held consistently and one that will do nothing to reverse the decision. Krstovic's double and a goal from Kessié secured the three points against Venezia regardless, but the manner of the victory leaves la Dea managing injuries and suspensions simultaneously heading into the next round of fixtures.
How Sarri reconfigures his midfield options in Elmas's absence will be the immediate question.