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MARSEILLE 0-1 ATALANTA: FULL MATCH ANALYSIS
- Mohamed Fathalli
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Remember the days when back-five formations were seen as a sign of a “boring” game? Well, in modern football, that’s no longer the case and perhaps the recent Champions League clash between Olympique Marseille and Atalanta at the Vélodrome is the clearest example.
Roberto De Zerbi and Ivan Jurić, two managers with similar lineups but distinct philosophies, saw their teams neutralize each other’s strengths in a tightly contested match that ended with a dramatic Italian victory. This article will explore how both sides approached the game and the tactical concepts that shaped it.
Ivan Jurić might not be enjoying the best spell of his career at the moment. After two short stints at AS Roma and Southampton, he now finds himself struggling with Atalanta, who have failed to win any of their last five Serie A games and currently sit 11th in the Italian league.
A disciple of Gian Piero Gasperini, under whom he both played and coached, Jurić has unsurprisingly maintained Atalanta’s aggressive and relentless out-of-possession approach. Early in this game, the Italians set up in an assertive high block, employing a strict man-to-man marking scheme.
The idea was not to rush OM’s Rulli or force him to one side, but rather to trigger the press only once he played the ball. From there, Krstović aimed to lock play on that side, while the others closed down their respective markers. If the ball was played back to the keeper, the press would not reset, instead, Atalanta’s forward would still hunt Rulli and look to force him long.
This approach proved effective early in the game, as Atalanta forced Marseille to play long and won most of their duels along the backline. Their aggressive pressing also led to several technical errors from the French side.
The sequence leading to the penalty that Charles De Ketelaere missed perfectly encapsulates both teams’ successes and struggles. Atalanta executed their man-to-man press, with Krstović stepping off his marker to pressure Rulli, locking play and forcing him long. From there, the matchups favored the Italians: Djimsiti won the aerial duel against Paixão, Lookman collected the ball, and set up Krstović in a dangerous position that led to the penalty.
However, as the game progressed, it was only a matter of time before a team managed by someone like De Zerbi found a way through. When Atalanta pressed high, Marseille adapted rather than going long to contest aerials. The ball-side wing-back dropped deep, dragging his marker with him and opening up space further up the pitch. As soon as the long ball was played, counter movements between Aubameyang and Paixão followed, with the Gabonese forward now receiving to feet instead of in the air. With the opposite side winger tucking in, opportunities for quick up–back–and–through combinations began to emerge.
While this didn’t directly lead to dangerous chances for Marseille, it did help push Atalanta’s block a bit deeper. From there, Marseille were able to apply different concepts, benefiting from more time and space on the ball. For instance, the right wing-back pushed high to pin the opposing wing-back, the right winger dropped deeper, and the opposite wing-back fell back to form a temporary back four. This movement created space in behind for Marseille to exploit, but the rotations didn’t stop there.
In one such sequence, Højbjerg dropped into the back line, with Pavard moving into the full-back position. This allowed for quick vertical passes into the dropping winger or wing-back. Once that pass was played, both Højbjerg and Pavard surged forward, overloading that side to create numerical superiority for quick combination play, while still maintaining an outlet if the opportunity arose.
However, the speed at which De Zerbi wanted these sequences to unfold, combined with poor technical execution from his players, left much to be desired. When Atalanta eased off their press, opportunities did arise for OM, but unfortunately for the French side, they failed to capitalize. Moreover, while rotations are a common tool to disrupt man-to-man marking systems, Atalanta’s players were ready to manage these situations well by passing their markers effectively. In one instance, Éderson marked MG and stayed deep, while Ahanor pushed higher to track the pivot player.
Speaking of Honest Ahanor, the 17-year-old was one of the main takeaways from this game. The Nigerian not only showed solidity in defense, bringing discipline, intensity, and strength in his duels, but he also played a key role in one particular aspect of Jurić’s on-ball setup. So, let’s flip the coin and look at how Atalanta played and how Marseille responded defensively.
The Italian side primarily used a 3-2 build-up structure, with the wing-backs alternating between dropping deep and pushing high to provide width, while the wingers tucked inside. On the other hand, Marseille defended in a 5-2-3 shape, with the pivot players tracking Éderson and De Roon, while the front three applied pressure on the ball.
While this setup looked good on paper, as it matched Atalanta’s players man for man, there were moments when it backfired. In the following example, both Bellanova and De Ketelaere successfully overloaded the right-hand side by dropping deep. Éderson’s sudden deep run made this possible, as he dragged his marker with him. From there, Atalanta were able to play through the press using out-to-in passing combinations.
What caused even more problems for Marseille was the way Ahanor was utilized. When De Roon dropped into midfield and received the pass, the Nigerian didn’t simply push up from his right centre-back position to invert into midfield, nor did he peel wide to act as a wingback. Instead, he advanced to join the last line, positioning himself in the right half-space.
This movement gave Atalanta a brief numerical advantage over Marseille’s front three. Once the pass was played and Ahanor pushed up, Lookman was able to join Zappacosta to overload the left flank. Meanwhile, Krstović dropped deeper to receive while maintaining a 1v1 rather than being doubled up on, or he could peel wider to join the overload. All of this was made possible by Ahanor’s positioning in the left half-space, which pinned one of Marseille’s centre-backs and disrupted their defensive balance.
The young defender even made overlapping runs into the final third from his deep position, one of which nearly resulted in a goal early in the game. (Yes, Lookman was offside, but credit where it’s due.)
These situations didn’t occur consistently throughout the game, especially after De Roon was substituted at the start of the second half. Instead, Atalanta looked for more direct plays to find Krstović as a target man. However, Marseille’s out-of-possession approach also improved after the break, as they adopted a more aggressive man-to-man system, with the wing-backs better positioned to make their pressing jumps compared to the first half. The centerbacks also dealt better with the Montenegrin forward as he had less success in his duels.
Combined with Atalanta dropping their block even deeper, this shift allowed the French side to take control for much of the remainder of the match. However, just as De Zerbi’s men were pushing hard for a goal, and moments after they thought they’d won a penalty, Lazar Samardžić curled a stunning left-footed strike into the net, while the entire stadium, players, and staff waited for a VAR call that never came.
In the end, this was a fascinating tactical battle that showcased the strengths and flaws of both sides, while also reminding us that entertaining football and ambitious principles of play are not confined to any specific formation.
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