AC Milan’s already declining top four hopes took another big blow on Sunday night as they were beaten by Atalanta.
After a protest from the Curva Sud against Giorgio Furlani and the management pre-game, the San Siro crowd were stunned as Ederson and Davide Zappacosta gave Atalanta a two-goal first half lead. Giacomo Raspadori beat Mike Maignan at his near post to add a third early in the second half.
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Things turned pretty toxic, though there was to be a late flurry when Strahinja Pavlovic scored a header from a corner then Christopher Nkunku converted a penalty that he won in added time to make the margin one goal, but the Rossoneri were eventually beaten.
With Roma, Como and Juventus all having won their games it couldn’t have been a worse round. Milan are now level on points with fifth place and need to win both of their last two games to get a Champions League place, which seems unlikely after a run of two victories in eight.
Set-ups and shape
Massimiliano Allegri chose to make five changes to the side that lost to Sassuolo a week ago. Koni De Winter came in for the suspended Fikayo Tomori, Samuele Ricci and Ruben Loftus-Cheek got the nod in midfield, Davide Bartesaghi returned on the left and Santiago Gimenez partnered Rafael Leao up front.
Raffaele Palladino meanwhile went with his familiar 3-4-2-1 but sprung a couple of surprises compared to the previously leaked teams. Davide Zappacosta started on the right with Nicola Zalewski the other wing-back, then Charles De Ketelaere and Giacomo Raspadori operated behind Nikola Krstovic.
Giménez demonstrated exactly what Milan have lacked in the absence of a natural striker. By consistently pinning Hien and occupying the centre-backs, he prevented the defensive line from stepping forward comfortably and created a valuable gap between the opposition’s defensive and midfield lines.
This is something Pulisic and Leão, operating as makeshift forwards, struggled to provide due to their tendency to drift into similar spaces rather than act as fixed central reference points.
Exploiting the gaps
Atalanta operated in a 3-4-2-1 structure built around constant positional rotations designed to manipulate space and disrupt defensive references. De Roon frequently dropped into the back line to form a temporary back three, which in turn allowed Scalvini to advance higher up the pitch.
Meanwhile, De Ketelaere tucked inside into the half-spaces, occupying central defenders and midfielders alike. This interior movement opened the flank for Zappacosta, enabling the wing-back to hold the width on the right and provide an outlet in advanced wide areas.
Atalanta consistently targeted Milan’s left flank, using their positional rotations to create numerical overloads and destabilise the defensive structure. These movements became a key component in the build-up to the opening goal, as Milan struggled to track the rotations and cover the spaces effectively.
Although Milan initially managed to deal with the cross, Loftus-Cheek switched off defensively at the crucial moment, allowing Ederson to burst into the box unchecked.
The issue stemmed from a lack of scanning and awareness: he failed to monitor his blind side or keep track of his direct runner, which ultimately allowed Ederson to attack the space freely.
Milan were presented with a counter-attacking opportunity following an Atalanta corner, but the transition once again highlighted a recurring structural issue.
Despite the open space available, Milan were heavily outnumbered – four attackers against seven recovering Atalanta players – which severely limited the effectiveness of the break.
With the passing lanes from Loftus-Cheek toward the wide areas effectively blocked, the move quickly lost momentum and the counter-attack eventually petered out.
De Ketelaere caused further problems for Milan with his movement, drifting wide and holding the touchline to drag his marker out of the defensive structure. This movement opened a vertical passing lane into Krstović between the lines.
Upon receiving the ball, Krstović quickly recognised Zappacosta’s forward run and adjusted his body orientation to receive square-on, allowing him to lay the ball off first time into Zappacosta’s path for the finish.
Pressing matters
Milan’s best opportunity of the match came from an aggressive high press against Atalanta. After winning the ball back in an advanced area, Giménez quickly released Leão through on goal.
However, despite the promising transition and clear opening, Rafa was unable to beat Carnesecchi, who stood firm and denied Milan.
Atalanta’s third goal stemmed from a moment of quality and anticipation from De Roon and Raspadori.
The move began when De Roon aggressively stepped out of the defensive line to press after Ricci played a loose pass toward Leão. He won the ball back immediately, triggering a rapid Atalanta counter-attack.
On the far side, Raspadori timed a run behind De Winter, exploiting the space away from the initial pressure. When Atalanta switched play quickly, the movement caught De Winter by surprise.
Although De Winter did well to force Raspadori onto his weaker left foot and deny him the angle for a right-footed strike, Raspadori still managed to finish effectively with his left, once again exposing Maignan’s vulnerability at the near post.
Changes and fightback
With Leão consistently being outnumbered on the left flank, Allegri adjusted the structure at half-time by introducing Nkunku on the right wing.
The change was aimed at naturally stretching Atalanta’s defensive shape horizontally, reducing their ability to overload one side and giving Milan a more balanced attacking presence across the pitch.
Milan’s first goal originated from a well-executed set-piece routine against Atalanta’s high defensive line. Pavlović initially positioned himself in an offside position, disguising his intended movement and momentarily disengaging from the defensive focus.
As Ricci stepped up to take the free kick, Pavlović timed his movement perfectly to come back in line with the defence, ensuring he attacked the delivery legally.
Ricci then produced an out-swinging cross, which naturally bent away from the goalkeeper and toward the attacking zone. De Roon, who was tasked with tracking Pavlović, failed to maintain awareness of the defender’s positioning behind him, allowing Pavlović to attack the space uncontested.
Nkunku’s penalty-winning sequence stemmed from an intelligent flick-on by Füllkrug. As the ball arrived, Füllkrug positioned his body square to the pass, allowing him to subtly redirect it into Nkunku’s path with a first-time touch.
The decision to flick the ball on rather than let it run through was a calculated one. Had he allowed it to continue, Füllkrug would have needed to control with his left foot before attempting a finish with his weaker right foot under pressure.
Instead, the flick maintained the tempo of the attack and created a more advantageous situation for Nkunku.
The data
A major reason why De Ketelaere found so much space and influence in the first half was Milan’s overly stretched defensive structure.
By defending with excessive width, Milan inadvertently opened up the half-spaces, precisely the zones where De Ketelaere thrives when receiving between the lines and turning toward goal.
Allegri recognised the issue at half-time and adjusted the team to defend in a much narrower shape, reducing the available interior spaces and limiting Atalanta’s ability to access those channels as easily.
However, by that stage, the damage from the first-half structural issues had already been done.
A very interesting situation indeed. 2 games left and the difference is 3 points between the 2nd and 5th place and between the 3rd and 6th.
IMO this season showed beyond any reasonable doubt that the likes of Allegri and Conte are not suitable to build a long-term project on. Their tactics belong to a different era.
I thought Marotta was crazy when he chose Chivu, but it turned out to be a good choice.
It’s still to be seen whether Chivu is a good long term coach as well. People still seen him as someone who inherited Inzaghi foundation, just like Arne Slot who won in his first season but struggle from then on
Chivu has obviously improved Inter’s style of play. Yes, he inherited a good basis from Inzaghi, but he made his own improvements. His one big issue is defense which is sometimes quite easy to breach, but maybe he will sort it out and the management should buy him 2 quality CBs. He still has things to learn and improve, but he has very good foundations.
Liverpool made an ill-thought-out mercato last summer, and the disappointing season is the result. It’s not always the coach’s fault.