Atalanta Bergamo – AC Milan: A Goal Apiece Sets Jurić’s Journey To Invincibility (1-1)

A sixth 1-1 draw has been recorded by Atalanta Bergamo this season. In this game, they controlled the proceedings after an early AC Milan lead, but a more balanced game state was found in the second half after an unplanned Allegri change.

Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker.

Much like the workers of Bergamo, who often travel to Milan for work, it has been Atalanta that has provided the construction in Italian football for almost a decade. But as the spearhead of the operations left, have the standards on site slipped?

A follower of Gasperini, Ivan Jurić had been destined to take over from a coach whom he tried to replicate. Though his Torino team had been defensively solid, recent spells at Roma and Southampton saw little excitement over his appointment in Bergamo, and though Atalanta remained unbeaten in the league, just two wins and six draws left little to be desired. Even though Ademola Lookman has been re-reintegrated back into the attack, Atalanta is yet to find its attacking spark that had always seemed effortless, no matter the personnel. 

Massimiliano Allegri has always played by his own rules, a coach you can easily recognise. As a result, AC Milan gets to live through the trials and tribulations that his football offers once again: solid in the low block, but routes to goal are limited. A roaring start had them top of the table, but a 2-2 draw to newly-promoted Pisa on Friday night saw Milan lose their pole position. A win away to Atalanta would certainly bring back the positive spirit.

Jurić made three changes from . . .