Lazio – Atalanta Bergamo: Boycotts, Balance And Old Blueprints (2-2)

First legs can bring limitations to a spectacle, but for Lazio and Atalanta Bergamo, a balanced and limited affair was expected between two teams that have not reached the heights they have established in other seasons. Between a young coach on an upward trajectory and an experienced one who had competed for titles, their tactical blueprints need some redrawing.    

Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker.

The Coppa Italia semi-finals pitched two teams who have found more joy in cup competition than in their respective domestic campaigns.

On the blue half of Rome, Lazio have experienced a season of turmoil. Maurizio Sarri was not informed of the incoming transfer ban last summer, and when the ban was lifted for January, key players were sold and replaced with little success. The sombre mood can be summarized by the spray paint left outside the Formello, “A message for Donald Trump: Lotito has a lot of oil and is a dictator.” Actions by the president have led to boycotts (just 5,000 tickets sold for this game), and Sarri has failed to branch out from the tactics of eight years ago; perhaps a surprise to see them knock out both finalists, Milan and Bologna, in the run-up to the last four. 

Italian football was presumed dead last Tuesday, but the heroic comeback of Atalanta Bergamo against Borussia Dortmund left the light on. Its reputation in the Champions League has a . . .