Barcelona – Atalanta Bergamo: Charging Down The Channels In Different Ways (2-2)

Amongst the many major scalps that Gian Piero Gasperini has collected, during his European away trips with Atalanta Bergamo, not many have come from Spain. They were keen to change that and their off-ball plans did come to fruition, but both teams had effective routes down the channels that made this game very competitive.

Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker.

Two of the top three goal scorers met with qualification secured, but Atalanta needed to get a win to secure top-eight status. Fail to do so and eleven teams could pounce on their position.

They faced a Barca team that had secured their position in the most dramatic of fashions, a crazy 5-4 victory over Benfica. A total of six wins out of seven put Hansi Flick’s team clear, an attacking unit sparked by Raphinha taking a more central role and the buildup following a distinctive pattern: Pedri with the progression, Raphinha receiving those passes. Though the defense still has its problems (and financial restrictions still cloud over their longevity) Barca has an attack that can hurt a lot of teams.

Atalanta was close to some major wins in Bergamo throughout the league phase, yet it’s been the away games where they have been at their ruthless best. Despite this, form has been rocky for Gasperini over the past month as their Scudetto ambitions have taken a huge hit. A 5-0 win versus Sturm Graz was an important respite, but it still took Mateo Retegui to save them from another bad result to Como.

Despite already qualifying, Barca had rested some of their key attackers . . .

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Joel Parker (24) is an Everton fan. Whenever he’s not watching his beloved Everton, Joel spends his time analyzing all sorts of football. Chief editor and Founder of Toffee Analysis. [ View all posts ]

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