In the Serie A last Friday night, Sassuolo hosted strugglers Torino at the Mapei Stadium in what was an exhilarating game which finished 3-3, clouded by an immense fog in Reggio Emilia.
Sassuolo have been by far one of the best sides to watch in Serie A this season, under the guidance of their manager Roberto De Zerbi, and following the 3-3 draw with Torino, they are sitting in the European spots on the league table. Their possession-based, fluid style of football has earned them plenty of plaudits in recent years and tonight, in an attacking sense, this flourished again.
Torino on the other hand, have struggled massively since the beginning of the 2020/21 season under their new manager Marco Giampaolo, and are currently sitting in the relegation zone following Friday’s result. The draw against Sassuolo was their first point of the season in four matches. Despite conceding three goals, however, Giampaolo will be thrilled with his side’s attacking ruthlessness, which is an area where they have also struggled during their matches.
This article will be a tactical analysis of the draw between I Neroverdi and Il Toro. It will be an in-depth analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of both sides in their tactics, throughout the game, as well as taking a look at where each team could have improved in their set-up.
Lineups and formations
De Zerbi deployed his usual 4-2-3-1 formation in this game, but there were a number of changes in the starting lineup to the one that beat Bologna in their previous match.
The back four and goalkeeper remained mostly the same apart from Kaan Ayhan coming into the side at right-back in the place of Mert Muldur. Locatelli kept his place in the double-pivot but was partnered alongside Maxime Lopez instead of Mehdi Bourabia.
