At 4:00 a.m. Beijing time on November 3, a high-profile strong dialogue in the Champions League kicked off, and the two sides were Serie A upstart Atalanta and Premier League giants Manchester United. Since the two teams were the first opponents in the competition group, they both sent the strongest squads in this battle. Atalanta was reversed by the Red Devils in the first leg against Manchester United, so this game is at home, and they hope to complete the revenge. At the beginning of the game, Atlanta launched a fierce offensive. In the 11th minute of the game, Ilicic scored to help Atalanta get off to a fantastic start, but towards the end of halftime, Champions League champion Cristiano Ronaldo stepped forward and scored a goal to help United equalize. In the 55th minute of the second half, Atalanta's Zapata helped Atalanta to rebound. Atalanta then led until the 91st minute of the game. At the last minute, Ronaldo stepped up again, helping the team to tie the score again. In the end, Manchester United shook hands with Atalanta away and won a point with difficulty.
Atalanta bet on midfield, leaving the team unstable
Atalanta used a 3-4-1-2 formation, which was mainly played in the middle, and Atalanta wanted to disrupt United's attack through interception and pressure in the middle. The first time they played Manchester United, Atalanta used a 3-4-1-2 formation, and despite the defeat at the time, the offensive effect of this formation was very good. They took a 2-0 lead in less than 30 minutes in the unfavorable situation of the visit, and if the defense can be more stable, they can definitely retreat. Now that the offensive effectiveness of this style of play was verified in the first leg of the encounter, Atalanta coach Piero followed the formation. Playing the Atlanta double forwards are Zapata and Ilicic, who are two of the strongest points on atauda's offensive end. The head coach of the league did not overuse them in order to retain the strength of the game, and the two also delivered satisfactory answers in this game.
Passalic plays the front of the team, while the team's four midfielders are Maher, Floil, Comis and Zapa Costa, of which Maher and Zapa Costa are mainly involved in defense, while Floyle and Comils are more focused on attack. The team's three defenders are Palomino, De Mirall and Deron, and the combination of these three players is not the strongest lineup in the Atlanta defense. However, Atalanta's recent backline has been seriously injured, with 4 players absent due to injury, which has led to the lack of a major general in the backline, so this is already the best arrangement for Piero to think about repeatedly. However, playing aggressively in the case of insufficient reserves of the team's defensive personnel is bound to lead to an increase in the team's defensive loopholes, which is also an important reason for Atalanta to concede goals in the first and second half of stoppage time.
Atalanta played successfully, not winning because the midfield was inferior to the opponent
Judging from the game statistics, Atalanta is no weaker than Manchester United. And Atalanta also got 56% of the ball, compared with only 44% of the ball. But Atalanta did not turn this advantage in the field into an offensive advantage, the reason is because the overall level of Atalanta's midfield is limited, not as star-studded as Manchester United, and there is a lack of superstars like Ronaldo. If Atalanta has players like Cristiano Ronaldo, then Manchester United will not get points in this game, but unfortunately, Atalanta and Manchester United are incomparable to veteran giants, their playing style and tactics are better than their opponents, but they lose in the strength of the squad, which is a helpless thing.
Atalanta coach Piero made only two substitutions in this game, and in the 46th minute, he replaced Passalic with Jimsitti. The forward position was crucial in the formation and could not be easily replaced, but Zapalic's performance was too mediocre, so Piero adjusted this position at the beginning of the second half. Piero's second substitution came in the 71st minute of the match, when he replaced Ilicic with Muriel. Ilicic handed over an assist in the game, and although he failed to score, he assumed a tandem role in the front. Because Ilicic rushed too hard in the early stages, by the time of 70 minutes, there was little physical strength left, and it was very reasonable for the head coach to replace him at this time.
The three-centre-back system gives full play to Manchester United's midfield advantage
In the last round, United won the strong opponent Tottenham Hotspur with a three-centre-back system. This allowed Solskjaer to see the offensive miracle of this formation, and he continued to use the 3-4-2-1 formation and put Ronaldo in the position of the single arrow. Solskjaer equipped him with two big forwards behind Ronaldo, namely B Fee and Rashford. As for the four midfielders, they are Pogba, McTominay, Luke Shaw and Bissaka. Among them, Pogba and Scott McTominay are good at organizing and passing, so that at least 4 people behind Ronaldo can deliver cannonballs for him, and he can also take on the responsibility of scoring goals. However, there are gains and losses, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's 3-4-2-1 formation, although it can maximize United's midfield advantage, but also makes Manchester United's defensive loopholes very obvious. They conceded a goal in the 12th minute of the game and United have been buzzing since then.
It wasn't until the first half of stoppage time that Cristiano Ronaldo helped the team tie the score. In the 56th minute of the second half, Atalanta broke through United's defence by counter-attacking. After that, United fell behind Atalanta for a long time, and it was not until the second half of stoppage time that Ronaldo turned the tide and avoided the team's away wreckage. If it weren't for Ronaldo playing a god-level performance, then Manchester United would have to lose this game. Of course, if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer adopts a 4-back or 5-back formation in this game, then Manchester United's attack will certainly not have such power. So in the future, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs to think about how to maintain the stability of the team's defense under the three-centre-back system, so that they can compete for the championship in the double line and the strong opponent.
United are well prepared and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's substitution has been questioned
In the last league game, Ronaldo and B Fee were replaced in advance, so their physical fitness remained very abundant, which shows that Manchester United's preparation is also sufficient. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sent more attacking players in the midfield, which caused the team's backline instability. After conceding a goal in the first half, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's substitution was questioned. The reason was that he replaced Varane with Greenwood. Originally, the team's defenders were not enough, and now that a midfielder has been replaced by a defender, it is not a further increase in the hidden dangers of the defense.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's second substitution was to replace Pogba with Nemanja Matic, whose defensive attributes were stronger than Pogba's, and in the situation where the team was behind, replacing Nemanja Matic could strengthen the defense of the midfield. Solskjaer then replaced Rashford with Cavani, and With Sancho and Van der Beek, mcTominay and Fernandez. It was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's letting go of the situation where the team was behind. The aim is to maintain the impact of the midfield. However, the effect of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's substitution is very limited, and in the end, Manchester United can equalize the score, or rely on the display of Ronaldo's personal ability. Therefore, when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer changes in the future, it is necessary to think carefully.
Final conclusion
Atalanta's Champions League situation is difficult, and they are divided into two strong opponents, Villarreal and Manchester United. Both opponents want to qualify, and in terms of strength, they are not weaker than Atalanta. In addition, young people are not mediocre, they have beaten Manchester United in the cold, so they also have the strength to overturn the atlanta gutter. After this game, Atalanta are no. 3 in the group, two points behind Villarreal and Manchester United, and in the next game they will be away to the youngsters, which is the one they must win.
Manchester United only won a draw in this game, so they were overtaken by the winning Villarreal. In the next game, Manchester United will have a dialogue with Villarreal, which involves a battle for the top spot in the group, and Manchester United will certainly do their best. But Villarreal is United's bitter host, having left Manchester United to the bitter end of the Europa League last season. In the first meeting of the new season, Manchester United sat at home and only won hard. The next game is replaced by Manchester United as a guest, which is in an unfavorable situation, so Manchester United must be cautious in this battle. However, with the advantage of the squad and the leadership of Champions League champion Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United still have great hopes to crush Villarreal.