Atalanta – Bayern Munich: A Masterclass On Dismantling Man-Oriented Pressure (1-6)

An energetic start to an interesting Champions League tie was put to bed after a rampant first-half performance by Bayern Munich. Atalanta’s man-oriented press was torn apart through constant off-ball movements that hypnotized the home side. Bayern did not take their foot off the gas as they raced past the finish line and into the second leg with a commanding five-goal lead.

Tactical analysis and match report by Fahd Ahmed.

The Champions League round of 16 had various interesting fixtures. Among them was a clash between two sides that bring high intensity to games. Atalanta is synonymous with man-oriented pressing after the iconic Gian Piero Gasperini’s stint at the club. During Vincent Kompany’s relatively short tenure at Bayern Munich, a similar DNA has been instilled into their playstyle.

Atalanta have endured a bit of a turbulent season after Ivan Jurić’s appointment in the summer. They struggled for form and had to make changes. Since Raffaele Palladino was brought into the fold, the team began showing more positive signs. Despite struggling to string wins together consistently and sitting seventh in the Serie A league table, Atalanta are still within arm’s reach of European qualification. Making the round of 16 of the Champions League has also not been easy as they finished outside of the top eight in the league phase. During the playoffs, Atalanta spurred an impressive 4-1 win in the second leg to turn around an initial 2-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund. Now, they had to face the Bundesliga reigning champions in a tough fixture against heavy odds.

Vincent Kompany’s team, on the other hand . . .