Tactical Review Of AC Milan's Rough 1-1 Draw With Atalanta At Home

AC Milan managed to take away a point and maintain their unbeaten run against high scoring Atalanta without key players missing. Here's the game in review:

Gigio Capitano

Donnarumma started the game as Captain as Alessio Romagnoli was ruled out due to an injury to his right calf. Gigio was on top of his game as usual and played an important role ensuring Milan took a point. He was beaten by the situation when Zapata overpowered Calabria and slotted home to score however about ten or so minutes earlier he pulled off another spectacular penalty save. Malinovskyi stepped up and slammed a penalty slightly to the right of Gigio and the young goalkeeper dove early to push the ball away and keep Milan in the game. He marks his 201st appearance with another penalty save following the save on Ronaldo from a few weeks ago.

An Ugly Point

Milan went into this game as major underdogs. Atalanta were unbeaten since the restart, sitting 2nd in the table and the highest scoring team in Italy with 95 goals. Milan went in missing attacking right back Conti, captain Romagnoli, enigmatic left back Hernandez and midfield marshal Bennacer. The team started Calabria, Gabbia, Laxalt and Biglia and still managed to get a point. This is a huge moment for the side to keep their 10 game unbeaten streak in the league. The game was ugly, full of errors and missed chances on both sides but the point helps Milan enormously.

Leao Needs More Game Time

Leao was the spark for Milan in the Atalanta game off the bench. Immediately he came on, he brought pace and unpredictability that allowed Milan to catch the opposition on the break at least two times. He adds an important dimension to the game and can do this more effectively with increased paying time. His dribbling ability is unparalleled in the current squad and he has a wicked shot. Milan nearly profited from his solo run after a corner but the touches were sloppy in the final third. Definitely a player for the future, but one who could use a start either against Sampdoria or Cagliari for his moral.e

Bennacer Vital, Biglia Listless

This game demonstrated the importance of Bennacer-Kessie as a duo in the midfield. The pair work brilliantly together as they supplement each other’s skills and hide each other’s flaws. Biglia left the midfield exposed throughout the first half and made an entirely unnecessary tackle to give up the penalty after stepping in Malinovkyi whilst he was on the ground and had lost the ball. Kessie pulled more than a double shift this game running up and down the pitch covering both defensively and contributing to the attack whilst Biglia seemed rather lost. A shame that the end of his time at Milan unveils the damage the injuries caused to his ability considering he joined the club as one of the league’s top midfielders.

Hakan Calhanoglu Fires Home

What a turnaround for the midfielder. The change of formation and his move to trequartista has brought some incredible phases of play out of the Turkey international. The midfielder struck a beautiful free kick to open the scoring and to give Milan an edge at Atalanta finding the top corner from a tight angle. The midfielder did well to facilitate the play in the final third and set up Ibrahimovic on a couple of occasions but was slightly overwhelmed by Atalanta’s quick pressing. Nonetheless he now has 10 goals and 8 assists this season in all competitions playing a critical role in the revival of the season to guarantee a Europa League spot