Player Ratings: AC Milan 0-3 Atalanta – Midfield duo suffers as no one stands out

The Rossoneri suffered a crushing 3-0 defeat at the hands of rivals Atalanta, but maintain top spot at the turn of the season calendar with Inter failing to capitalize against Udinese.

Starting XI

Donnarumma (6): Made quite a few good saves and generally commanded his area very well, could do nothing about either Atalanta goal.

Calabria (4.5): Was under a lot of pressure from the Atalanta press and their high wingback play. His passing and defending suffered badly as a result.

Kjaer (6): One of the better performances in the game but still below the high bar he’s set this season.

Kalulu (5.5): Lost his man on a setpiece for the first goal, having had a rather bright start to the game. Unfortunately, he had to be carried off the pitch after what seemed to be a hip injury in the middle of the second half.

Theo (4.5): Poor defensively as Atalanta overloaded the wings and wasn’t able to provide the spark he usually brings to the attack.

Tonali (4): Dear in headlights performance from the young Italian, understandable coming up against one of the league’s most strenuous pressing midfields. He definitely couldn’t handle the pressure on the ball while also taking up some terrible angles defensively that let to easy takeons.

Kessie (5): Was overwhelmed in midfield with Tonali and Meite going completely MIA. Also gave away an unfortunate penalty for Atalanta’s second with a sloppy elbow to Ilicic’s face.

Castillejo (5): Not much the attack could do really with very little service and no foothold in midfield.

Meite (4): A rare tactical mishap from manager Stefano Pioli who inserted the new signing for his first start both out of position and clearly unprepared for the challenge ahead, he was subsequently hooked at halftime.

Leao (5.5): Had a couple of positive flashes early on in the game but then faded as the team relinquished more and more possession.

Ibrahimovic (5): Poorly missed an excellent set-piece opportunity a mere couple yards from goal and generally dilly-dallied on the ball far too much, losing it right as Milan needed to maintain possession.

Substitutes

Brahim (6): Largely ineffective after coming on at halftime for Meite despite having a couple of nice moments with his dribbling.

Musacchio (5): Came on for the injured Kalulu and showcased exactly why he was dropped from the team almost a year ago now, with poor decision making both on and off the ball.

Mandzukic (N/A)

Rebic (N/A)

READ MORE: Massara thinks Milan’s mercato is closed as he reveals he won ‘fight’ with Chelsea over Tomori