AC Milan dominated by Atalanta midfield trio
A fter three wins on the bounce and
the whole of the AC Milan camp in
buoyant mood, reality came crashing
back down on them as they were held
to a scoreless draw against Atalanta on
Saturday.
It was not their good run coming to a
halt that was so disappointing
however, but instead the manner of
the draw and way the Orobici
dominated proceedings at the San Siro.
The key to Atalanta’s superiority was
their midfield trio of Marten De Roon,
Luca Cigarini and Alberto Grassi, who
gave a lesson in cohesiveness, fluency,
creativity and grit to the Rossoneri.
Although Milan were at home, they
ended up getting pinned back and
were forced to play almost as though
their were the away side. Edy Reja’s
men enjoyed most of the territorial
advantage as well as they dominated
the possession.
Atalanta had 59.4 percent of the ball at
the San Siro and were able to force
Milan deep into their area and play
just 45.3 metres from their goal.
Although defending in this manner
proved to be fruitful in the previous clash
against Lazio , their execution failed
them in this instance with La Dea
having much to do with that.
Reja’s midfield trio completely
nullified Milan’s, while starving the
forwards of service. De Roon was key
in this and particularly impressed in
his ability to win back the ball. The 24-
year-old won seven challenges, losing
just the one, as well as recovering eight
balls and intercepting two.
On top of the defensive shield provided
by the Dutchman, Grassi ran the
Rossoneri midfielders ragged,
constantly in their face and harassing
them once they got on the ball. The
Italy Under-21 international put in an
energetic display by completing 34
passes, winning three challenges and
recovering 13 balls.
Grit and dynamism were not all the
tools Atalanta brought to the party
though, with Cigarini adding the much-
needed guile and creative touch to
complete La Dea’s midfield
masterclass. The Orobici schemer
completed 63 passes and created two
goalscoring chances, whilst putting in
a defensive shift of his own by
winning back seven balls.
In contrast the Milan midfielders
looked out of sorts, unable to hold on
to possession. Riccardo Montolivo was
the biggest culprit, losing 17 balls. Juraj
Kucka and Andrea Poli seldom did
better, coughing up possession on 12
and nine occasions respectively.
Milan’s midfielders’ struggles to
correctly service the forward line
inevitably affected their ability to
make an impact, as the offensive trio
of M’Baye Niang, Alessio Cerci and
Carlos Bacca lost a whopping 57 balls
during the game.
The difference between the Lazio game
and Saturday’s are both startling and
obvious. Against the Aquile the
Rossoneri were ruthlessly efficient,
scoring their three goals from their
three shots on target.
When they faced Atalanta however
that clinical touch eluded them and
was compounded by some slack
execution, a lack of dynamism and a
deficit of creativity.
The key difference was that those were
all ingredients Atalanta’s midfield
provided in abundance.
Adapted from article in La Gazzetta
dello Sport by Andrea Schianchi
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