Juric claims Atalanta-Milan ‘wasn’t a contest’ despite draw: “We dominated from start to finish”

Atalanta boss Ivan Juric has boldly claimed that his side had ‘triple the intensity’ compared to AC Milan in Tuesday night’s game.

Milan started the game brightly and they took the lead in just the fourth minute as Samuele Ricci got his first goal for the club, but they were unable to turn it into three points. It was Ademola Lookman who drew the home side level in the first half, which was more than fair on the balance of play.

Speaking of which, the stats paint the picture: Atalanta had 17 total shots to Milan’s six, while the Rossoneri managed just one shot on target to the three that the home side had. The Rossoneri spent most of the game on the back foot, but both sides will feel they could have nicked it.

‘Dominated from start to finish’

Juric spoke to DAZN after the final whistle to give his thoughts on the game, a fifth consecutive draw for his side. It would be fair to say he was quite happy with how his team played, and MilanNews relayed his assessments.

Atalanta needed intensity, and they showed it…

“I think Atalanta had triple the intensity of Milan. It wasn’t a contest. We dominated from start to finish. They had a shot and a goal, and then it was all Atalanta after ten minutes in the second half.

“In my opinion, we were the only team that deserved to win today because we dominated everything. It’s a shame – the team deserved more points, but we’ll get there.”

Image: AC Milan

The game seemed to move in stages…

“We played very well in both phases. We knew Allegri’s teams would drop back, but we still created several chances to score. It’s a great disappointment that we’re not getting more points because we deserve them. But I’m confident we’ll get going and do very well.”

How important is that goal for Lookman?

“We’ve forced all these matches to get him back into shape. He’s a unique player, but he’s a spectacle on the pitch. He’s a winner, and he’s incredibly energetic with the lads. Today he had a great game and scored a great goal.”

How much confidence does this evening give you?

“I hope so. We’ve recovered all our players, and we’re starting to be very competitive. We’ve played overwhelmingly well, but we haven’t managed to win. Let’s hope we become more clinical.”