One of the most interesting Champions League clashes on Wednesday night was the one between Manchester United and Atalanta. A game that started more than well for the Italians, who took the 2-0 lead in the first half but went out against a completely different United after the break and gave away their advantage by conceding three goals which led to losing the three points.
Atalanta were more active in the first half, but Manchester United’s increased the tempo after the break, which combined with La Dea’s lack of concentration resulted in the complete turnover.
The Serie A team failed in some of their tactics, which tested their in-game decision-making and had them struggling both in attack and defensively.
Mario Pašalić opened the score for Atalanta, followed by a header by the centre-back Merih Demiral. Moving closer to the second half though, the team lost the initiative and were completely swamped by the energized United later on.
The Red Devils relied on quick offensive transitions, especially in the second half when their opponents lost concentration and it was Juan Musso who saved Atalanta on multiple occasions with his heroic saves.
This tactical analysis examines what went wrong in Gian Piero Gasperini’s tactics and how Ole Gunnar Solskjær got his team back on track to win the game.
Lineups and formations
Solskjær opted for a 4-2-3-1 with David de Gea on the goal, supported by Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelöf and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in defence. Centrally, Fred and Scott McTominay were responsible for breaking Atalanta’s attacks early on, while Markus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Mason Greenwood supported Cristiano Ronaldo in attack.
At first, the team weren’t adventurous and despite how the two conceded goals made them look like, preferred having solid defensive coverage, which later helped them in executing their strategy easier and using quick transitions to create chances.
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