Atalanta Bergamo – Lazio Roma: Brilliant Atalanta Comeback Caps Off Entertaining Attacking Battle (3-2)
Atalanta overcame an early double blow from the visiting Lazio to grab the victory. Lazio started strong and punished the gaps in Atalanta’s defending to devastating effect but Atalanta, led by captain Alejandro ‘Papu’ Gómez, eventually took control of proceedings and overturned the two-goal deficit.
Tactical analysis and match report by Julian Chingoma.
Heading into the contest, Lazio were Serie A’s second-placed side, four points behind table-topping Juventus. This was the first outing for Lazio since the return of Serie A football; home side Atalanta thus had the distinct advantage of already having a game under their belt. They managed to grab a 4-1 win over Sassuolo, just a few days prior, in their first post-suspension match. The hosts were involved in their own battle within the league, sitting in the final Champions League spot and trying to fend off the chasing pack led by Lazio’s bitter rivals AS Roma. This would mean both sides highly valued the points up on offer in this clash.
Atalanta were sent out in a 3-4-3 formation by manager Gian Piero Gasperini, who was serving a touchline ban for this game. Pierluigi Gollini was the goalkeeper for the hosts; their back three consisted of Rafael Tolói, José Palomino and Berat Djimsiti. The four in midfield consisted of Remo Freuler and Marten de Roon as well as the wing-backs Hans Hateboer and Robin Gosens. With Josip Iličić still missing from the starting eleven, as he had to settle for a spot on the bench, Papu Gómez and Ruslan Malinovskyi formed the duo in support . . .
Get access to this article and all other quality content of Between the Posts!
Start your two-week free trial now!
Completely ad-free exclusive articles from our expert tactics writers, plus a complete match plots page to explore.
Already a member? Log in
Comments