AC Milan and Atalanta Show Bright Future for Italian Football in Draw

Serie A has often been accused of being overly defensive and dull in comparison to its rival major European football leagues. It has also been seen as a competition for old players. However, both of these pejorative stereotypes have been challenged and eroded gradually over recent seasons.

If anything, Italian football’s top tier is one of the more welcoming homes to young talent on the continent. This was shown categorically during AC Milan’s 0-0 draw with Atalanta at the San Siro on Saturday evening.

And while the goalless scoreline would suggest detractors of Serie A to be correct concerning the league’s aesthetic appeal, or supposed lack thereof, it was in fact an exciting end-to-end clash, as well as a fascinating tactical affair.

With mist enveloping the San Siro, both sides would have been forgiven for not being at their most precise. And understandably, there was a degree of uncertainty throughout, as the two sets of players jostled for position in an evenly contested game. This only made it all the more entertaining.

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Each team threatened without creating genuine scoring opportunities in the early going, though Atalanta had the better of the first half. Manager Gian Piero Gasperini has already left his mark on La Dea, and their latest display acted as yet more evidence that they are capable of competing with anyone and everyone in Serie A on their day.

Their flexible man-marking scheme made it extremely difficult for Milan to implement the intricate short passing Vincenzo Montella prefers in his team's buildup play, putting them under intense pressure and forcing a series of mistakes. As the opening period came to an end, the home side found it increasingly difficult just to get out of their own half with the ball at their feet.

Gasperini’s ideals produce riveting, if occasionally chaotic, results, and he couldn’t have asked for a better team to work with after leaving Genoa in the summer.

Atalanta have a wonderful history of developing fine homegrown players, and their squad is filled with such prospects, as discussed in this recent post. It is on these youthful foundations that the coach has been able to successfully impose his specific view of the game, one that requires total dedication and high fitness levels.

Up front, the 21-year-old striker Andrea Petagna has thrived since Gasperini came in. Strong, technically adept and with an accurate left foot, the youngster has led the line atop a rough 3-4-3 system with consummate ease and caused problems for his old club on Saturday, only reopening the question around why exactly Milan allowed him to go in the first place.

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The forward runs of Roberto Gagliardini, a 22-year-old central midfielder, often went unnoticed or untracked by the Rossoneri. He almost opened the scoring toward the end of the first half after ghosting in to the home side’s penalty box, but his headed effort was tipped away by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Milan almost scored immediately after that attempt on their own goal, with left-back Luca Antonelli surging forward before hitting the woodwork. But with few other concerted attacks of their own, Montella’s side had to rely upon their 17-year-old shot-stopper to ensure they went into the break on even terms with the visitors.

The second half began at a lively tempo, as Giacomo Bonaventura, one of the many to have come through Atalanta’s academy, almost scored against the team that gave him his Serie A bow with a series of jinking turns followed by driven left-footed strikes, both of which missed the target.

Donnarumma continued to play a vital role even as Milan dominated the latter portion of the match, getting his fingertips to deflect a looping Rafael Toloi header over the crossbar. But at the other end, on two occasions the visitors’ clean sheet was kept intact only by goal-line clearances. The first of these came from 22-year-old central defender Mattia Caldara, the second by 22-year-old right wing-back Andrea Conti.

Youth had underpinned this particular game of Serie A football, and the subject came up in both coaches' post-match interviews.

Montella chose to play it down, telling Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia) that: "People talk so much about our young players, but I thought [the 30-year-olds] Ignazio Abate and Gabriel Paletta were our best performers today."

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Gasperini, meanwhile, used his side’s youth as a method of restoring realism after another positive result against a more illustrious opponent. "Unlike Leicester City, we are a young team and not built with the same resources as the Premier League club," he told the press. "We cannot be compared to Leicester, even if we [have been] a surprise outfit so far this season."

Another interested spectator was unapologetically enthusiastic about the promise of the two teams.

"I like to think of it as an advert for my Nazionale," said Italy head coach Gian Piero Ventura when discussing the match with La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia). His opinion is understandable—of the 22 players that started the game, 15 were Italian. And of those 15, seven were aged 23 or under.

Milan and Atalanta are model clubs in Serie A when it comes to giving quality young players chances to shine in the first team. This is shown by the fact they frequently have the youngest lineups in the league, according to Transfermarkt.

However, other teams are following their lead.

Torino have enjoyed a strong season thus far under former Milan boss Sinisa Mihajlovic. Their resurgence has been aided by three young Italians in two 22-year-olds, striker Andrea Belotti and dynamic central midfielder Marco Benassi, and the attack-minded 21-year-old left-back Antonio Barreca.

And while Sassuolo have struggled to balance Europa League football with domestic duties this term, they continue to act as a production line for prospects. In the absence of key 22-year-old winger Domenico Berardi, the 23-year-old Matteo Politano has stepped up, as has the 20-year-old midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini.

Even reigning champions Juventus have opened up their first team to youth, as the 16-year-old Moise Kean made his debut for the Bianconeri against Pescara in November. The Italy under-17 international then became the first player born in the 21st century to appear in a UEFA Champions League match, coming off the substitutes' bench away to Sevilla on 22 November.

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Milan’s draw with Atalanta acted not only as an advert for the future of the Italian game but for the quality of Serie A.

While the widespread usage of Catenaccio and similar counter-attacking tactics from the 1960s onward gave the league a reputation for careful football, this depiction is no longer relevant today. Per Squawka, when considering goals conceded per game among Europe’s major leagues, three of the top 10 are Italian—Cagliari, Pescara and Palermo.

And when considering the styles of many teams in Serie A, it’s clear that the old defensive stereotype no longer rings true.

Montella has imbued Milan with a more controlled approach to the buildup, improved movement and enhanced ability to retain the ball, while Gasperini has brought with him to Atalanta the same exhilarating tenets he fostered at Genoa. His replacement as Grifone head coach, Ivan Juric, has built on those ideals.

Maurizio Sarri’s Napoli have one of the most effective passing games in Europe, while his old club Empoli continue to focus on possession despite fighting relegation. The same could be said of Massimo Oddo's Pescara, who, in spite of poor results, play a fluid, offensive brand of football.

Juventus, Roma and Torino have all scored over two goals per game on average, while Lazio aren’t far behind them. Elsewhere, Paulo Sousa’s Fiorentina and Marco Giampaolo’s Sampdoria play with a refreshingly idealistic attacking zeal.

Serie A's image is being gradually restored as not only an appealing league to watch but one filled with promising young talent. In both respects, Milan and Atalanta are playing a crucial part.