GdS: Brains, physicality and danger zones – inside the ‘heart of the battle’ in Atalanta-Milan

Games between Atalanta and AC Milan are always fascinating tactical battles, but there are also some very interesting individuals duels too.

This morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) has done a deep-dive into three areas where the game might be won or lost for either side. You should of course read our five key battles piece, too.

Modric vs. Ederson

The Croatian midfielder does it all even at 40. He runs, wins the ball, drops back to defend and plays 90 minutes every week as if he were 24. He doesn’t want anyone to remind him of his age, but he’s making sure those who admire him forget it.

On the other side, Ederson – albeit a different player – is a midfielder with a wealth of skill. The Brazilian didn’t have an easy start due to an injury that sidelined him, but he’s slowly finding his feet again. In midfield, he’ll be capable of causing Allegri’s men plenty of problems.

Gimenez vs. Lookman

Two players still without a goal, and whose summers haven’t exactly been memorable. On the one hand is Santiago Gimenez, who Milan tried to offload in every possible way until the last day of the summer window, even in a swap deal with Artem Dovbyk.

His contribution on the pitch is very useful, stretching the defence and creating space for Rafael Leao (plus winning penalties, it seems), but that first league goal isn’t forthcoming and the Mexican is desperately searching for it.

On the other hand, there’s Ademola Lookman, a key figure this summer for another reason. The Nigerian striker spent part of the pre-season training alone while waiting for the deal between Atalanta and Inter to be finalised.

The result? He didn’t move, so showed up in far from perfect condition and a lot of effort was to get back into the squad. He’s also looking to get going, though he did score the winner against the Rossoneri last season in this same game.

De Ketelaere vs. Pavlovic

This is perhaps the only direct head-to-head contest. Charles De Ketelaere operates on the centre-right, where he will meet Strahinja Pavlovic. Like De Ketelaere, he too experienced ups and downs in his first few months at Milan, but Allegri seems to have helped him turn a corner.

The Belgian isn’t in top form, but he was better in the Champions League match against Slavia. Could that have been the spark? Like Lookman, he scored against Milan just over a year ago in the 2-1 win for Atalanta.