#Atleti boys getting a win before Christmas

[pensat-i-fet]

1-0, Marcos Llorente

+ birthday boy being exhausted but adorable while singing the anthem on the floor and getting a hug!! 😘😘

[eplreport]

UEFA Champions League Power Rankings: Liverpool, PSG on the up as Chelsea slide down after loss to Juventus

It has been a dramatic week in the Champions League and beyond with shock results and clashes between some of the continent's biggest teams. Now with a second of the group stage games in the can we are now at the stage where we can start to make a realistic assessment of who is likely to be in the business end of the competition.  As such, don't consider these power rankings to be necessarily indicative of the best teams in Europe but instead of those most likely to reach the business end of the Champions League. In other words, sorry AC Milan. Here's how the teams are shaping up ahead of the international break:

The top tier: Title or bust

These teams should be disappointed with anything less than a semi final berth and frankly even that might not be enough, such is their talent profile. 1. Manchester City (--) Their brutal week of away games against Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool may have yielded only four points and yet their status as Europe's top team has probably been enhanced. In each match there were spells where their opponents simply could not live with Pep Guardiola's side even if the familiar issues of chance conversion raised their ugly head. Still across those three matches City created shots worth 5.49 expected goals (xG) and allowed three star-studded attacks just 1.76 xG. That bodes well for the business end of the season. 2. Liverpool (+1) Mohamed Salah might be Europe's form forward right now with Sadio Mane not far behind him. Both look back to their best with a stable foundation behind them. If there is a scintilla of doubt over Jurgen Klopp's side at the moment it is that they can be guilty of letting teams back into games they seem to be dominating; even though City upped their game dramatically on Sunday at Anfield the first 15 minutes felt rather similar to games against AC Milan and Brentford where Liverpool let a moment slip by. 3. Bayern Munich (+1) A 2-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt spoiled their impressive start to the season but the sort of robust treatment the visitors meted out on Bayern probably is not a practical response to dealing with this all conquering attack. On Sunday a combination of loose final passes and excellent goalkeeping from Kevin Trapp denied them but the eight goals of evidence they have from the Champions League suggests those sorts of days will be few and far between.

Serious contenders: If things go right, why not us?

It certainly is not beyond the realm of imagination that any of these teams could be lifting the European Cup in Istanbul come May, though it may require a few fortunate breaks for the tournament to go their way. 4. Paris Saint-Germain (+1) PSG's simultaneously underwhelming and impressive season continued in that fashion last week as moments of magic from Lionel Messi and Idrissa Gueye took them to a win over a Manchester City side to whom they gave plenty of routes back into the match. Then they failed to muster a single shot on target in the second half of a 2-0 loss to Rennes. Their defense looks like it needs a lot more time to coalesce whilst we are still yet to see all the big three click at the same time. Craving even more coverage of the world's game? Listen below and follow ¡Qué Golazo! A Daily CBS Soccer Podcast where we take you beyond the pitch and around the globe for commentary, previews, recaps and more. 5. Chelsea (-3) While a 3-1 win over Southampton eased any murmurs of disaffection there are still real causes for concern at Chelsea, who struggled to create any meaningful chances when all square with Manchester City and Juventus. Their defense is giving up good chances far more frequently than it did last season and that has so far not been balanced out by greater attacking impetus at the other end. 

Dark horses: Unlikely contenders, but contenders all the same

These teams are unlikely champions, but then so were Chelsea this time a year ago. It may take a change of circumstances like the Blues had when they appointed Thomas Tuchel, perhaps a new signing or the unearthing of a new tactical plan. It's possible, but certainly not probable. 6. Borussia Dortmund (-2) A slightly clunky 1-0 win over Sporting and a 2-1 victory against Augsburg might not normally be such cause for optimism at Dortmund but the fact that they were earned without Erling Haaland (and in the former case Julian Brandt) is encouraging for Marco Rose. There are few downsides to having one of the best young strikers in the world but Dortmund had on occasion been looking a little too reliant on Haaland, not least because his understudy Donyell Malen had started slowly in the Bundesliga. A goal in the Champions League offers hope that that might be about to change. 7. Ajax (+2) No team has a higher xG through two group stage games than Ajax, who pummeled both Sporting and Besiktas into submission. Erik ten Hag's side seems to have options all over the pitch in what looks to be a relatively orthodox 4-3-3 executed to aplomb with players who might not be the most heralded of stars but click excellently together. In particular Steven Berghuis' late runs from midfield could well pose a problem deep into this tournament. 8. Sevilla (-1) It has been a rather underwhelming week for Julen Lopetegui's side but crucially they came back from Wolfsburg with a point after Ivan Rakitic's late goal. Their 1-0 defeat against Granada was something of a forgivable result, they only allowed three shots for their opponents though they themselves went nearly an hour between shots that drew a save from Luis Maximiano. 9. Real Madrid (-3) A horrendous week for Carlo Ancelotti saw his side follow one of the greatest upsets in Champions League group stage history -- their 2-1 defeat at home to Sheriff -- with a loss by the same scoreline against Espanyol. On both occasions they created the chances to win the game but they are perhaps overly reliant on the scoring form of Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior, who account for over half of Madrid's shots on target in the Champions League and La Liga. 10. Atletico Madrid (+1) Though wins over AC Milan and Barcelona have them sitting pretty in both major competitions it is worth reflecting on how much of the first of those games passed by before Atleti really looked like exploiting their man advantage following Franck Kessie's red card. In Europe in particular it feels like Diego Simeone's side need an awful lot of time, fortune and high grade attacking talent on the pitch just to test their opponents. 11. Manchester United (-1) Though Cristiano Ronaldo's late goal against Villarreal kept them firmly in the mix in Group F each successive game seems to be proving the limitations of United's hero ball approach. Against Everton they looked devoid of ideas to carve open two banks of four and for a team whose best attacking moments seem to come on the counter they have precious little idea how to stop other teams doing it to them. If they do not develop a plan soon Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might be out of a job and there are no guarantees the team will get out of their group.

Knockout stage contenders

You will note here that there are slightly more contenders for the knockout stages than there will be teams in there. Welcome to the wonder of those teams battling for second spot in the groups. There will always be someone disappointed. 12. Juventus (+1) 13. Inter Milan (-1) One might make a convincing case that Inter, still unbeaten in Serie A and averaging three goals per game, are the better of the two Italian sides in 12th and 13th but after picking up just a point from their first two group fixtures they are firmly behind the eight ball in the Champions League and can ill afford further slip ups against Sheriff in the coming matches. Meanwhile Juventus' resilient victory over Chelsea was perhaps not the sort they could repeat on a regular basis. But then they won't need to for a while yet with favorable meetings with Zenit Saint Petersburg and Malmo to come. It probably will not be long until Massimiliano Allegri's side reach the last 16. 14. Benfica (+3) 15. Red Bull Salzburg (+4) 16. Atalanta (-1) 17. Wolfsburg (-3) 18. Villarreal (--) 19. Sheriff Tiraspol (+7) Their 2-1 win over Real Madrid was hardly vintage football from Sheriff, who gave up all the chances their opponents needed and more after their opening goal in the Santiago Bernabeu, but there were moments that showed why the Moldovan champions have proven to be such a tough out for seasoned European sides. In the 24 minutes before their opener Yuriy Vernydub's side kept the 13-time European champions to four shots worth a combined 0.24 xG. This is a defense that can hold out the best of them, though perhaps not under the pressure that Madrid put on them. 20. Barcelona (-4)

In the mix

A few fortunate breaks and they may find themselves extending their Champions League involvement beyond Christmas. Don't bet on it though. 21. Porto (+1) 22. Club Brugge (+9) 23. Shakhtar Donetsk (+4) 24. Dynamo Kyiv (+1) 25. Zenit Saint Petersburg (+4) 26. RB Leipzig (-7) Jesse Marsch's task of pipping one of Manchester City and PSG to the post in Group A seemed herculean from the outset. It might just be beyond them after their loss to Club Brugge. Their league form is beginning to turn a corner but one cannot help but feel that their best prospect now is to play catch up with the Belgians and hope they can steal in to earn a Europa League spot. Considering they would then rank among the favorites for that competition it may not be the worst of consolations. 27. Young Boys (+3) 28. AC Milan (-7) 29. Sporting (-3) 30. Besiktas (-3) When the draw was made Group C seemed to offer the most intrigue with no obvious front runner. Everyone seemed to be in the mix for qualifying but now it would appear that Ajax and Borussia Dortmund are streaking ahead. For Sporting or Besiktas to have any real chance of reaching the top two they will have to take four points from their back to back fixtures over the coming weeks.

Slipping out of Europe

There are no bad teams in the Champions League but these will do well to extend their involvement in European football beyond Christmas. 31. Lille (-3) 32. Malmo (--) Source link Read the full article

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Coppa Italia Tactical Analysis Atalanta vs Juventus

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Coppa Italia Tactical Analysis Atalanta vs Juventus

Artwork by @chapulana

Atalanta stunned the Coppa Italia holders Juventus with a comprehensive 3-0 victory at the Atleti Azzurri d’Italia. Juventus had been looking to make it an unprecedented five back-to-back Coppa Italia wins but faced a tough test away to Atalanta.

It could be argued that given the other sides in the competition this was perhaps the best draw that the Old Lady could have hoped for. Juventus avoided the more traditionally ‘big’ sides in Roma, Lazio, Fiorentina, Napoli, AC Milan and Inter. Atalanta however, have been simply brilliant at times this season.

They currently sit 7th in Serie A and are well within reach of the final Champions League place, only trailing AC Milan by three points. Although Atalanta are a mighty 27 points behind leaders Juventus, the side from Bergamo are the league’s highest scorers with 47 goals in 21 games and have one of Italy’s most in-form strikers in Duván Zapata.

The Colombian forward had scored 15 goals in nine games before this Coppa Italia tie, finding in the net in each of those nine games at least once. He also had previous against Juventus, netting a brace in the league fixture just after Christmas in a 2-2 draw. In our tactical analysis we will look at how Zapata and Atlanta were able to continue on their fine run of form against the biggest and best side in the country. 

The setups

Atalanta started in Gian Piero Gasperini’s favoured 3-4-3/3-4-1-2. Juventus tended to operate in a 4-4-2, although their formation at times was more of a 4-3-3 with Bernardeschi pushing forward into a right-wing position and Ronaldo drifting more to the left-hand side.

Playing with a back three gives Atalanta a numerical advantage over most sides in this area. When Paulo Dybala dropped deeper to find the ball, Ronaldo was left 1v3 against the Atalanta defence. As such the defenders could be very aggressive and not worry too much about leaving space in behind, since they knew they had the cover and Juventus didn’t have the support up front.

Playing with two strikers supported by the excellent Alejandro Gómez also allowed Atalanta to have some control in the final third, and didn’t leave Zapata too isolated against a famously strong Juventus defence. Hans Hateboer and Timothy Castagne provided the width by both operating in advanced positions but also joining the attack slightly late and providing an out-ball for the Atalanta midfield.

Both Hateboer and Castagne were also very aggressive and did a very effective job at keeping Juventus’ dangerous wing-backs quiet. As touched on earlier, Alejandro Gómez was tasked with supporting the strikers. He also has more of a free role where he can take up dangerous positions and look to impact on the game for Atalanta, which he did effectively. Following the injury to Iličič midway through the first-half Gómez took up a more advanced role alongside Zapata.

As for Juventus, everything looked a little disjointed. Ronaldo was often isolated against Atalanta’s back three as Dybala would drop very deep looking for the ball from Khedira and Bentancur. There was certainly a lack of spark from what seemed a more industrious midfield of Khedira, Bentancur, Bernardeschi and Matuidi.

The absence of Miralem Pjanić seems to be affecting Juventus a little as they were second best in this game, and were quite often second best against Lazio in the previous game in the league. Furthermore, Matuidi has been very effective on the left of midfield this past year for Juventus and France, but his threat was totally nullified in this game by Marten de Roon. A prominent feature in Juventus’ narrow win over Lazio was that there was almost a total lack of presence on either of the wings for the Old Lady, and this theme continued against Atalanta.

Gian Piero Gasperini’s famous high press

Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini is famed for his side’s ability and willingness to press high and consistently throughout a game. This was no different when the big boys came to town. Atalanta operate in a man-oriented press that begins with his front two.

The above image is from the 1st minute of the game. We can see that the Atalanta players (circled) are all pressing their respective men and have forced Alex Sandro into a bad decision as he has no options to pass to. Sandro loses the ball, and Atalanta have an early chance.

Again we can see (above) that the Atlanta players are pressing their opposite man. They are forcing the Juventus player in possession into a difficult pass as this is his only option. As Atalanta are somewhat in control of who the player in possession has to pass to, they can read it and react accordingly. This time Iličič gets his foot to the ball and Atalanta regain possession deep into Juventus’ half.

Another image taken from early in the game shows Atalanta’s commitment to their aggressive press. The Bergamo side have seven players in what must be at most one eighth of the pitch. Atalanta again force Juventus into a pass which they can easily latch onto and intercept. This time the sideways pass is intercepted by De Roon and Atalanta have another early chance.

Atalanta’s defensive rotation

What really stood out were the defensive rotations by the Nerazzurri. As Atalanta had set up with a back three, at any given time one of the three had the licence to press aggressively into midfield or for example press a forward receiving the ball with his back to goal and then follow him into midfield. This is because of the numerical advantage which I mentioned earlier.

At all times Atalanta were able to at least match Juventus’ attacking numbers with their own defensive numbers. As a result of this both Rafael Toloi and Jose Luis Palomino especially were given licence to press their men into advanced positions. To counter for the space left behind, the other two central defenders would shuffle across or tighten up. If a Juventus player attempted to break into the space vacated by the wide centre-back then they would be tracked by either De Roon or Freuler.

This was perhaps the most important aspect of Atalanta’s defensive display. It completely nullified the threats of midfield runners into the half-spaces and the areas vacated by Atalanta’s aggressive pressure. Below are some examples of this in action.

Above we can see an example of this defensive rotation in action. The left centre-back Palomino has pressured the Juventus ball carrier back into midfield leaving space in the defensive line. Freuler sees this and follows the Juventus runner (red) to prevent any danger.

The same scenario takes place above, but this time on the right-hand side with Toloi and De Roon.

In the image above both De Roon and Freuler have runners and space that they need to track and both players do so.

In the image above Atalanta’s defensive system shows that it can be adaptable. The central defender of the three, Djimsiti, is moving into midfield to pressure the Juventus player about to receive the ball. As this is the central defender of the three it is more difficult for Freuler or de Roon to cover the space. Instead, the entire outfield 10 reduces its width and narrows the playing space to negate the hole left in the back three.

Atalanta’s goals

Atalanta’s first goal came about from a very similar scenario to the previous images detailing their pressing game.

Atalanta have pressured Juventus into the exact place that they want them. The supporting players have cut off all possible easy out-balls and there is a total lack of midfield presence for Juve. Castagne the left wing-back is harrying Cancelo (red) and forcing him backwards and possibly into a mistake.

With the relentless pressure, Cancelo tries to turn away from Castagne but is dispossessed in a dangerous area. Given the fact that Atalanta commit so many men to the press, when they win the ball back they have a 3v2 in their favour. Castagne drives to the edge of the box and the supporting runs of Zapata and Gómez are enough to distract the Juventus defenders and give him enough space and time to finish calmly.

The second goal came just two minutes later and was a result of good combination play between the midfield and attack for Atalanta. Toloi looks for a direct ball into the channel for Zapata. Atalanta are looking for Zapata to either secure the first ball and build from him, or for a midfield runner to secure the second ball following a clearance or poor touch.

Pašalić latches onto the second ball and can lay a simple ball into the centre of midfield for Freuler who is in a huge amount of space. Somewhat inexplicably ex-Borussia Dortmund midfielder Sami Khedira is positioned wide on the right-hand side and is out of position.

Freuler quickly moves the ball into Gómez who is goal-side of the Juventus midfield line. Pašalić and Zapata both cleverly pull onto De Sciglio who is now playing in a less favoured role as a centre-back in a back four. The Juventus defender has two men to deal with as Gómez plays the ball into his area. Zapata manages to control the ball and fire home.

Atalanta’s third and final goal was a terrible mistake by a Juventus defender from a long goal-kick by Berisha.

Final Thoughts

Atalanta fully deserved the victory here and the scoreline is not an exaggeration of their impressive display. They completely blunted Juventus’ attack and caused them all sorts of problems going forward. Gasperini’s side are always exciting to watch and unfortunately often fall foul of results that their performance doesn’t warrant but this was not the case at all in this outing. It would be incredibly refreshing to see Atalanta go on and achieve great things this season, whether that be a Coppa Italia win or qualification for the Champions League.

As for Juventus, they looked languid and lacking in ideas. The XI that played lack invention and a little bit of creativity and it certainly showed. Although Juventus will probably have bigger fish to fry when it comes to retaining the Scudetto and possibly finally securing a Champions League win, they will be bitterly disappointed to have been beaten so comprehensively in a tournament they have been so successful in recently.

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European Football Preview: Turin derby leads the action in Serie A

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European Football Preview: Turin derby leads the action in Serie A Please share.

After a nightmare week for the Italians in Europe, Serie A resumes with the Turin derby and lots more, as James Horncastle reports.

Andrea Belotti has not been the same since rushing back from injury to be ready for Italy’s ill-fated World Cup play-off last November. He has scored just two goals from open play this season.

Derby della Mole Torino v Juventus Saturday, 19:30Live on Eleven Sports 2 Torino ended a two decade winless run in the Derby della Mole in 2015 and would take great pleasure in stopping the hitherto invincible Juventus from going another season unbeaten. The Granata have flown a little under the radar this season but find themselves in sixth and in line with pre-season expectation. Torino’s boss Walter Mazzarri even thinks they deserve to be higher, lamenting the inaction or misapplication of the rules by the VAR in several games. He believes bad decisions have cost his side seven points but other things have held the Bulls back too. Scoring goals does not come easy to Torino despite an array of attacking talent at Mazzarri’s disposal. Andrea Belotti has not been the same since rushing back from injury to be ready for Italy’s ill-fated World Cup play-off last November. He has scored just two goals from open play this season. Mazzarri doesn’t completely trust Simone Zaza and has only deployed him, Belotti and Iago Falque all together against crisis-hit Genoa. Torino have instead distinguished themselves for their solidity in defence and going 10 games undefeated on the road. The problem is Saturday’s Derby della Mole is at the Stadio Grande Torino where they have taken 10 points from a possible 21. Juventus cross town after losing a second game this season in the Champions League, not that it stopped them qualifying for the next round as group winners. Massimiliano Allegri called it painless although it did cost him the injury of his most versatile player, Juan Cuadrado. The suspension of the excellent Rodrigo Bentancur will also likely test how fit Emre Can is after recently making a tentative return from surgery. Sami Khedira is still out and Cuadrado had helped fill-in as a makeshift midfielder to add a rotation in an area where Juventus have sometimes felt shorthanded this season. Going into Wednesday’s shock defeat in Berne, where Young Boys upstaged the Old Lady, Juventus had racked up five straight clean sheets in all competitions. Admittedly they were fortunate not to concede in the Derby d’Italia when Roberto Gagliardini hit the post and Matteo Politano and Ivan Perisic fluffed chances for Inter. But Giorgio Chellini is a guarantee. The Juventus captain is in the form of his life and from a purely defensive perspective deserves consideration as the best old school defender in the world at the moment. Take a Juventus win and a clean sheet @ [2.42].Inter left black and blue Inter v Udinese Saturday, 17:00Live on Eleven Sports 2This time last year Inter were undefeated in Serie A. Then Udinese rocked up at San Siro and put an end to all that. The defeat sent Inter into spiral for months compromising Champions League qualification which was only clinched in dramatic circumstances on the final day. A lot has changed at Udinese in the meantime. The Zebras have gone through another two coaches and Massimo Oddo’s hot streak soon burned out. Nevertheless there is great curiosity to see how Inter react to going out of the Champions League on Tuesday night. Barcelona did them a favour by holding Spurs but the failure to beat PSV at home did for them. Over the last few years Inter have suffered tremendous mood swings, sinking into depression and struggling to get out of whatever funk they’re in for a prolonged period of time. Luciano Spalletti has spoken about the vampire of Appiano Gentile, who suddenly appears and sucks the blood out of the team in moments like these. Let’s hope there are plenty of crosses and garlic to go with the Christmas decorations at Inter’s training ground. Udinese have enjoyed a new manager bounce under Davide Nicola, who announced himself to his new club by beating Roma in his first game. An away win is priced @ [10.5] on the Exchange while Double Chance has them @ [3.6].Flying Atalanta Atalanta v LazioMonday, 19:30Live on Eleven Sports 2Going to Bergamo after playing in Europe is a nightmare for Italy’s top sides. Inter found this out in November when they travelled to the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia and got whooped 4-1. Lazio head there winless in six in all competitions after a chastening defeat in Cyprus, the concession of a 99th minute equaliser to Sampdoria last weekend and a 2-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt at the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday. A punitive *ritiro* was imposed on the players last week, forbidding them from leaving the training ground until this crisis is sorted out. Lazio’s ambitions for the season are not yet compromised. The Eagles are only a point adrift of the Champions League places and qualified for the knock-out stages of the Europa League with two games to spare. But the team’s form remains a concern. Meanwhile Atalanta are flying and, after moving on from the disappointment of missing out on the Europa League via the play-offs, carry a real threat. Gian Piero Gasperini will fancy his side to take points of Lazio and Juventus before the New Year and if he succeeds we may well have to start talking about Atalanta as an outsider for the top four.Josip Ilicic has recovered from a bacterial infection that left him fearing for his career and big money signing Duvan Zapata has finally caught fire, banging in five goals in his last five appearances for the Goddess. Take Atalanta for the win @ [2.24].

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