Lazio – Atalanta Bergamo: Chaos And Control (0-2)

It was fifth versus sixth as Lazio hosted Atalanta Bergamo in a fixture poised to take one of these teams into a Champions League position, all they needed was a win. Lazio tried to dictate the tempo of the match but was met with an Atalanta side that threw the game into a chaotic storm.
Tactical analysis and match report by Nick Hartland.

Lazio has been in mixed form since the league restart, with two wins in six in the league underlining what has become a familiar theme for manager Maurizio Sarri, inconsistency. The home team has the potential to tear apart fellow top-four challengers AC Milan 4-0 and then follow up that result with two draws in a row against teams in the bottom half of the table.

If there is one consistency at the club then it can be found in Sarri’s dedication to his favoured 4-3-3 formation, and a team that is built around slow and patient buildup play. At the back, Elseid Hysaj, Alessio Romagnoli, Nicolò Casale, and Adam Marušić. A midfield three of Luis Alberto and Sergej Milinković-Savić was anchored by Danilo Cataldi. Up front, Ciro Immobile was flanked on either side by Mattia Zaccagni and Felipe Anderson.

For the first time in three years, Atalanta started this season without Champions League football. It is a testament to the work of manager Gian Piero Gasperini that this was considered a failure. Expectations have ballooned during his time in Bergamo and an eight-place finish last season meant many were ready to write the obituaries for Gasperini’s time at the club, suggesting that his aggressive high-pressing team had run its course. 

Perhaps Gasperini agreed with this assertion because Atalanta has transformed this . . .