Milan and Atalanta met in Serie A this weekend with both sides safe in the knowledge that their respective European competition places are now secure. This tactical analysis will look at the tactics both teams used in their attempt to pick up the three points and continue the good form that both teams have shown since the resumption.
Milan is one of the form teams in Serie A right now after wins over Lazio and Juventus in previous matchdays and a last game win over the attacking Sassuolo with some fluid attacking football and the return of Zlatan Ibrahimović netting them seven goals against the top two. Meanwhile, Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta side have picked up twenty-seven points since the restart with notable wins over Napoli, Lazio, and Sassuolo and a point against Juventus who needed two Ronaldo penalties to rescue the draw.
Game context
With Milan as one of the form sides in Serie A right now, Atalanta would rightly have expected a difficult encounter. Pioli’s men have collected twenty-three points since the restart and there is a growing belief amongst their group that they are ready to compete at the top table of Italian football once again. For Atalanta, they have had no shortage of entertainment and goals during their games so far this season. Averaging 2.4 goals per game according to the xG is one thing in itself, but reality places them higher at 2.6 goals per game. Their dynamic attacking play and ability to rest and rotate players while still making an attacking imprint on the game underpins their current third position in Serie A.
In the last encounter just before Christmas, Atalanta destroyed Milan 5-0 in the early stages of Pioli’s reign. The usual Atalanta suspects in front of the goal did the damage that day with Luis Muriel, Josip Illicic, and Alejandro Gomez all scoring. For Atalanta, this scoreline is not an outlier with Gasperini’s side scoring five or more on six separate occasions so far this season.
Team News
For Milan, Ibrahimović continued as the focal point in the top line in their 4-2-3-1. It is, without doubt, the best way to accommodate him in this side at present and he has been a real catalyst for the Milan resurgence since the restart. Pioli battled some heavy unavailability in this game though with only Simon Kjaer and Gigi Donnarumma continuing from last time out in the win over Sassuolo in the backline. Hakan Çalhanoğlu continued in the side underneath Ibrahimović while the only change in front of the back four came with Lucas Biglia coming in to play alongside Franck Kessie at the base of midfield.
Gasperini’s usual 3-4-3 shape contained one change in the back three with Mattia Caldara coming into the central position. Hans Hatebor came into the side on the right-hand side of midfield and Mario Pasalic was replaced by Ruslan Malinovskyi in the top line.
