1 day ago
28
AC Milan made it back-to-back draws in Serie A on Tuesday night as they emerged from the New Balance Arena all-square with Atalanta.
Milan made the better start in the game, and it culminated in the opening goal in just the fourth minute, scored by the number four Samuele Ricci. A corner was cleared to him around 25 yards out, and his volley sailed past Carnesecchi via a deflection for his first goal in red and black.
When Ademola Lookman fired in a rocket of a shot at the near post to even it up not long before the break, few could argue that it was what Atalanta deserved after a sustained spell of pressure. In the end, neither side were able to force a winner in the second half, so it finished 1-1.
The result means that Milan have dropped to fourth, given that Napoli, Roma and Inter all won their games in the midweek round. Below are Rohit Rajeev‘s tactical observations from the game.
High press
Atalanta’s high press (PPDA 11.2) forced Milan into constant 3v3s, so Allegri made a clever tweak. Gabbia pushed up, Maignan stepped higher, and Milan started breaking lines with passes behind Atalanta’s press. Subtle adjustment, big impact.
The home side, on the other hand, relied heavily on their trademark wing play, overloading the wide areas to pull Milan’s shape apart and create crossing or cut-back opportunities.
Atalanta would also pull Milan’s defence to one flank and then switch play incase play cannot be progressed anymore.
Atalanta frequently dragged Milan’s defence to one flank before switching play to the opposite side when progression stalled. It is a classic Juric move to stretch the block and open up new passing lanes.
Milan’s best chance of the game came when they cleverly tilted Atalanta’s shape toward the right flank, opening a gap through the middle, which they quickly exploited to create a clear-cut opportunity.
Atalanta’s goal stemmed from poor defending by Saelemaekers and Tomori – both caught ball-watching instead of tracking their man, Lookman, who capitalised with a sharp finish. 😬⚽
Milan’s goal came from a corner against Atalanta’s zonal marking setup. Atalanta packed their entire team inside the box, leaving no one outside to cover the rebound. When the ball was only half-cleared, it led to a 1v3 situation, with Lookman left alone to defend against three Milan players.
Ricci paradox and attacking issues
As much as Ricci stood out in this particular game, he does not bring what Rabiot does to the squad. In this situation we can see how Milan are missing with Ricci playing more centrally or in the left half space but rather deeper than the Frenchman does.
Up front, Allegri wanted to suck in Atalanta’s press and counter them, however Atalanta anticipated Milan’s counters creating 2v3 putting it out even before momentum is gained.
This meant that the Rossoneri’s forwards – Leao and Gimenez – were isolated for a good part. The Mexican had only 21 touches in the entire game with one touch (his bicycle kick) coming in the penalty areas.
The data
Milan managed just one shot on target all game: Ricci’s goal. A worrying stat that highlights how blunt Milan’s attack looked despite long spells of possession.
Atalanta’s dominance was clear in the field tilt metric – they completed 65% of all final-third passes, showing just how much of the game was played in Milan’s half.
English (US) ·