Roberto Mancini’s side looked to bounce back following last week’s late loss at home to Sassuolo, however, could only salvage a draw at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia on Saturday.
An own goal each from Jeison Murillo and Rafael Toloi ensured both sides ended the match with a share of the spoils, a result that neither team would be satisfied with. Atalanta have failed to win in their last five league outings and Inter dropped a couple of potentially vital points in their quest to claim the Scudetto.
With the Edy Reja’s side starting off the brighter of the two, it did not take long for Atalanta to haul themselves in front. Former Chievo man Boukary Dramé dribbled past a couple of Inter defenders and slid a dangerous low cross into the box, with Murillo inadvertently poking it past Samir Handanovic in goal for the away side.
Just minutes after, however, a neat exchange between Mauro Icardi and Stevan Jovetic that began at the edge of the box culminated in another own goal, as Toloi sliced past his own keeper Marco Sportiello in goal to level proceedings.
That was as far as the goalscoring went though, yet Handanovic and Inter were forced to hold off a barrage on goal from the side from Bergamo, with the Milanese club’s Slovenian goalkeeper pulling out yet another heroic performance between the sticks.
Young striker Gaetano Monachello stole the ball from Murillo inside the box, though the angle proved too tight for the 21-year-old and he could not find a way past the Nerazzurri custodian.It was Monachello once more who forced the next stop from the 31-year-old. Just seconds before the half-time whistle, the Inter Milan youth product saw his well executed half-volley tipped out for a corner by the acrobatic Handanovic.
Toloi then looked to make amends early on in the second-half, though his flicked header off a corner was matched by another reflex stop by Handanovic.
Just minutes later, the former Udinese man made arguably the biggest save of the game. A long ball was hoofed into the box and knocked down to Luca Cigarini near the six-yard box, yet what looked like a certain goal was heroically stopped by a flying Handanovic with his legs whilst he was positioned horizontally in mid-air.
Internazionale then had a period where they created chances, but failed to give Sportiello any trouble whatsoever throughout the rest of the 90 minutes.
Late on, Monachello got into yet another dangerous position to offer himself an opportunity to be the hero for Reja’s side, though could not convert from close range and on an acute angle, skying his effort over the bar.
Mancini’s side now sits four points behind leaders Napoli, whilst La Dea remain in 12th spot.
Formations
Former Lazio and Napoli boss Reja changed up from a 4-3-3 in last round’s 2-0 home loss to Genoa to 3-5-2 on Saturday to great effect, with six personnel changes also being made to the side. Gianpaolo Bellini, Gabriel Paletta, Davide Brivio, Alberto Grassi, Marco D’Alessandro and Germán Denis all made way for Andrea Masiello, Nicolò Cherubin, Andrea Conti, Marten de Roon, Boukary Dramé and Gaetano Monachello.
Atalanta XI (3-5-2): Sportiello (GK); Toloi, Masiello, Cherubin; Conti, Cigarini, de Roon, Kurtic, Dramé; Monachello, Gómez
The formation was maintained by the former Manchester City boss, however, three personnel changes were made to the side that lost 1-0 to Sassuolo at the San Siro last weekend. Alex Telles came in for Yuto Nagatomo in defence, while Fredy Guarín replaced Geoffrey Kondogbia in midfield and Stevan Jovetic started ahead of Ivan Perišic
Inter Milan XI (4-3-3): Handanovic (GK); D’Ambrosio, Miranda, Murillo, Telles; Guarín, Medel, Brozovic; Ljajic, Icardi, Jovetic
Atalanta overrun Inter in midfield
For much of the game, the home side stifled all of Inter’s attempts at attacking. It was common throughout the 90 minutes for Reja’s central-midfielders to form a wall in front of the three-man defence and repel everything the Milanese club threw at them. Atalanta made 25 interceptions during the match, with most being made in the space between the edge of the box and the centre of the pitch, compared to Inter Milan’s 11.
However, it was not only in defence where La Dea excelled.
In the middle of the pitch, Atalanta ensured the away side was unable to control the match and gain much territory in their own half. Reja’s midfield five easily outran Mancini’s three, with wide attackers Jovetic and Ljajic not doing a lot of tracking back either, enabling the side from Bergamo to gain control for much of the match and limit the amount of opportunities Inter could create.
Reluctance to attack costs Mancini’s side
Although they were outplayed for lengthy spells throughout the match and conceded most of the game’s chances, Mancini’s men had more possession (56% to 44%) than the home side. Despite this, an unwillingness to attack and get players forward appeared to hinder the Nerazzurri’s prospects of registering more shots on goal.
There were moments when Inter’s front three would exchange and manage to work their way towards the edge of, or inside, the box only to find little to no support whatsoever. The only actual form of reinforcement for the talented trident up top came from Guarín at the edge of the box.
Reja’s men not allowing Inter to play out from the back from goal-kicks
A tactic that was more prominent in the first-half and less so as time went on, Atalanta’s attacking players blocked all form of supply in close range to Handanovic, forcing him to kick long and abandon Inter’s planned possession-based approach in certain periods of the game.
Also a feature of the game in open play, Reja’s two wide players in the 3-5-2 formation – Conti and Dramé – would often push high up the pitch when Inter were attempting to play out from defence into midfield, sometimes forcing errors and turnovers. As the game went on, though, this tactic waned.
Inclusion of Jonathan Biabiany creates late attacking outlet for the away side
The man who arrived on a free transfer from Parma has often been used to great effect by Mancini.
The 27-year-old provides something different for his side. He is direct and extremely quick with the ability to find teammates with dangerous crosses. He is simply unpredictable and dangerous for opposition fullbacks with the ball at his feet, and has usually been utilised as a substitute when chasing games.
The match against Atalanta was another one of these games where he affected the flow of the match after coming off the bench. His direct running and attacking ambition was a key factor in Inter’s late but somewhat tame rally, showing Mancini that he is the perfect wildcard to play when Inter Milan are chasing a game.
Conclusion
Coming into this match on a four game losing run, Reja played his cards right and was rewarded with an encouraging all round performance against a potential Scudetto contender. The formation and personnel utilised against the San Siro side, as well as the drive and energy in midfield ensured Inter were kept at bay, and similar performances in the future should wield even better results against sides that do not boast a goalkeeper of Handanovic’s quality.
Inter, on the other hand, appear to be running out of luck. Two losses and a draw in their last four matches back this up, with this stalemate in particular another piece of proof that Mancini cannot rely only on an amazing goalkeeper, a clinical striker and a formidable defensive pairing. More attacking intent and creativity must be inject into this Inter side or else they will fall away from the likes of Napoli and Juventus and potentially even lose a place in the top three if Roma and Fiorentina can find some consistency.
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