AC Milan – Atalanta: Predictability Dominates San Siro Stalemate (1-1)

AC Milan were held to a 1-1 draw at the San Siro by Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta side. Milan took an early lead after Rafael Leao scored a sumptuous goal to break his goalless streak. However, Atalanta equalized from the spot via Teun Koopmeiners who fired home after a contentious VAR call, as both sides canceled each other out in the second half.

Tactical analysis and match report by Gaurav Krishnan. 

Pragmatism has its benefits in football, but there’s a fine line between being pragmatic and being predictable. There’s also overly defensive football – parking the bus so to speak. While the latter wasn’t the case in this game, there’s a tendency for Serie A managers to play pragmatic, man-to-man marking schemes that effectively nullify their opposition, from buildup to progression. Atalanta’s Gian Piero Gasperini and Milan’s Stefano Pioli are both ardent proponents of that old school of Italian football philosophy. But, newer managers and thinkers like Thiago Motta and his Bologna side are evidently beginning to play around, tinker and reinvent strategies beyond Italy’s penchant for the man-to-man game, that aims to challenge the status quo.

Gasperini has reinvigorated Atalanta over the course of his tenure, exemplified by guiding the club to three third-placed finishes . . .