ATALANTA v AC MILAN: OPPONENT REVIEW

You think you know them but they always manage to surprise, to change, to improve. Atalanta never lack hunger and ambition. One of the main reasons for this is coach Gasperini, doing a tremendous job since 106 in elevating La Dea to one of the queens in Italy and also in Europe where, at the moment, they are standing to qualify directly into the Champions League round of 16 thanks to a very good first leg. They are experiencing a great period and have probably never been such a concrete contender for the Scudetto.

The Serie A table places the Bergamaschi in second place, 1 point away from Napoli. At the start of November, the peremptory 3-0 win at home over the Partenopei was a clear sign of what Atalanta, reigning European champions after dominating the last Europa League Final, is and can do. Add to this the recent 2-0 win at home against Roma, a tough match clinched in the second half, their tenth league victory - eighth in a row - in fourteen matches. Leaders in terms of away performance, and also very solid at the Gewiss Stadium where they score an average of 2 goals at a time.

TOP CONDITION, TOP PERFORMANCE AND A TOP ATTACK
Man on man, pressing and open-field battle: Atalanta's weapons are not difficult to discover, but they are complicated to avoid. The 3-4-2-1 designed by Gasperini is compact and aggressive, a physical and atheletic formation. They don't worry too much about keeping possession, but care about creating chances and attacking at all times and all phases of play. They take the lead, know how to keep it, and concede very few in the final minutes.

So far, the Nerazzurri cleary have the best attack in the league with 36 goals scored, and 16 goals conceded. Their only slip-up was against Inter at San Siro, which meant they have performed worse than six teams - including AC Milan - defensively. Quality and volume of play, however, compensate for errors and shortcomings: the Bergamaschi are first in assists (24), attempts (175) and scoring percentage (16.4%), demonstrating an important presence and dominance in the opponent's box. And if the goal doesn't come from a run or a cross, their game at the Olimpico has highlighted the team's ability to strike from all positions and from set pieces.

VERSATILE RETEGUI, POWERFUL EDERSON-DE ROON DUO AND... CDK
What is always striking about Atalanta is the constant performance, the quick adaptation of the individual into a collective that moves as a team effectively. The summer market should be underlined: Atalanta, starting from an already very strong base, lost Scamacca and dropped Koopmeiners, chose Retegui, Samardžić, Bellanova, Brescianini, Kossounou, and bet on Cuadrado and Zaniolo.

Retegui is versatile for Atalanta, the forward moving a lot and doing a lot of things: he attacks, passes, scores. With twelve goals scored, he is the current Serie A top scorer. He has unique characteristics, a sizeable player and yet technically skilled. Usually, Lookman and De Ketelaere are behind him: the former has often given the Rossoneri trouble (a double a year ago), the latter is a former AC Milan player. The Nigerian shines on stages of a certain depth, the Belgian ties up and finishes passes and manoeuvres. We must also highlight the possible reintroduction of Zaniolo, Bellanova's moves, Carnesecchi's saves and, in particular, the fundamental connection in the midfield: Éderson and de Roon, who have made the most passes under pressure and at high intensity in the league (373 and 361).

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