Atalanta were held to a scoreless draw against Juventus on Matchday 7 of Serie A at the Gewiss Stadium on Sunday evening, with both teams remaining in the race for a spot in the top-four of the league standings.
Despite coach Gian Piero Gasperini‘s side having numerous occasions to break the ice, La Dea lacked the finishing touch in the final third of the pitch, ultimately leaving them with no choice but to share the spoils with the Bianconeri.
After coming off a 1-0 victory against Lecce in the midweek fixtures on Matchday 6 of Serie A, Massimiliano Allegri‘s side were quite dull and seemed to lack creativity in Bergamo.
A clean-sheet at home yet again for Atalanta
Whilst Atalanta lacked the clinical finishing this evening, the Nerazzurri portrayed brilliant defending as they maintained compact and managed disrupt Juventus‘ counter attacks with their impeccable timing and anticipation of the game.
Gian Piero Gasperini deployed an impressive giga-press, having his players move high up the pitch when The Old Lady were in the build-up phase of the game.
Ultimately, La Dea’s front-foot defending was extremely efficient as Juventus struggled heavily to pin-point passes and construct out of their half against an aggressive Atalanta side that was magnificent in defensive transition.
Atalanta‘s solid defensive display allows them to conserve their home-dominance as they have yet to lose a fixture and concede a single goal at the Gewiss Stadium thus far in all competitions.
Luis Muriel impresses off the bench
After a lack of consistency and having underwent numerous injury spells last season, Luis Muriel lost his spot in Gasperini‘s starting line-up as the Colombian was replaced by new recruitments Gianluca Scamacca and promising forward El Bilal Touré.
With both pair of attackers having been deemed unavailable to feature in the pivotal clash this evening, Atalanta struggled to finish off their countless waves of attacks as they were evidently missing a ruthless goalscorer on the pitch.
From the instant the former Sampdoria forward stepped onto the pitch for Nigeria international Ademola Lookman, Muriel altered the dynamics of the fixture as he continuously tested shot-stopper Wojciech Szczesny and caused havoc with his blistering pace and strong technical ability.
The veteran striker ignited a spark as the focal point of the attack in the last 20 minutes of play, almost winning it for his side as his sublime free-kick rattled the frame of the goal. It was the stimulus for Teun Koopmeiners to pounce in the final minutes but the 25-year-old failed to capitalise in the six-yard box.
An impressive cameo could perhaps play a prominent role in regaining the trust of coach Gasperini, allowing Muriel to feature more regularly for in the fixtures to come.
A bland and underwhelming display from Allegri’s men
Juventus were in total disarray this evening as Allegri‘s side were quite careless in possession with their poor passes in the central area of the pitch and were incapable of breaking through Atalanta‘s back-line.
Despite Federico Chiesa serving as the main catalyst this evening with his relentless work-rate and refined ability on the ball, the Bianconeri were extremely lacklustre this evening as they only attained five shots towards goal.
Although key players Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik were unable to feature on the pitch due to injuries, the Bianconeri seemed completely unprepared and were tactically outclassed by Gasperini.
Consequently, question marks will definitely be raised on whether Juventus can be major title contenders in the 2023/24 Serie A campaign.
