Serie A 2021/22: How Juventus grabbed a difficult point in the Atalanta draw – tactical analysis

Apart from the Napoli-Inter game, there was another big game in this Serie A fixture as Atalanta hosted Juventus on Sunday. Before the game, both teams were separated by a two-point margin, but Gian Piero Gasperini’s side had one more game less than the opponents. This could be a potential decider of the UEFA Champions League 2022/23 seat as well. Despite the controversies in the game, Juventus managed to secure a point at the end of the game, there were also some good performances from Massimiliano Allegri’s troops. This tactical analysis will explain the dismarking strategies of Juventus to exploit the man-oriented defensive tactics of Atalanta, and how Álvaro Morata played as a left-winger in the Old Lady.

Lineups

Atalanta finally overcame the injury crisis with fresh players back to the squad. Merih Demiral partnered Berat Djimsiti and Rafael Tolói as the centre-backs, with Davide Zappacosta and Hans Hateboer as the wing-backs. Remo Freuler, Marten de Roon started as the 6s with Teun Koopmeiners as the attacking midfielder, supporting Jérémie Boga and Luis Muriel.

Allegri had so much trust in Dušan Vlahović ability as the new arrival from Fiorentina started consecutive games already. To accommodate the Serbian striker, Morata was moved to the left-winger position while Paulo Dybala played as the right-winger. In the midfield, the three players chosen were Weston McKennie, Adrien Rabiot, and Manuel Locatelli. Danilo, Leonardo Bonucci, Matthijs de Ligt, and Mattia De Sciglio formed the defensive line.