Alexis Sanchez and Edin Dzeko missed golden chances in Inter’s 0-0 draw with Atalanta. The story of the match was strong defensive play and poor finishing, as both clubs had several opportunities to take the lead. Though fixture ended scoreless, it was still a thrilling, end-to-end drama that saw several players turn in outstanding performances.
Atalanta
Juan Musso – 7
Musso showcased his quick reflexes, making one brilliant save against Alexis Sanchez. Otherwise, the goalkeeper went unchallenged and distributed the ball well.
Berat Djimsiti – 5.5
Djimsiti had a surprisingly quiet match, not making a challenge or recording a shot. Through 70 minutes, he managed just 25 touches on the ball.
Giuseppe Pezzella – 7
When Hakan Calhanoglu chipped Musso in the second half, Inter nearly opened the scoring. However, Pezzella tracked Matteo Darmian back and dramatically cleared the ball off the line.
Merih Demiral – 8
Demiral was by far the best defender on the pitch. Even though he was facing down the league’s best attack, he was aggressive and physical, winning several challenges.
Jose Luis Palomino – 6
Palomino had a quiet match and generally played as the deep defender while others stepped to challenge.
Marten De Roon – 6.5
Tasked with restricting Inter’s space in front of the backline, the defensive midfielder played a solid match. Despite facing the talented Nicolo Barella, he was able to force Inter to attack from the wings, diverting their creativity to less dangerous areas.
Remo Freuler – 6
Alongside De Roon, Freuler played a more reserved role, directing the press from deep. He floated from sideline to sideline and harassed the opposing midfielders. Freuler had one opportunity to score in the second half, but his soft shot was underwhelming.
Matteo Pessina – 6.5
After a quiet first half, Pessina came alive in the second. Soon after the break, he nearly scored the opening goal, making a fantastic diagonal run into the box. However, Samir Handanovic made a fantastic one-on-one save to keep the scoreline level.
Teun Koopmeiners – 7
From the number ten position, Koopmeiners played a sort of box-to-box role. He dropped deep to help his side condense the midfield, but he also pushed high up the pitch on occasion. Though a newcomer to the Atalanta system, the Dutchman has left a profound impact on his side.
Mario Pasalic – 6.5
Pasalic was heavily involved with Atalanta’s attack, but he had one bizarre play that stood out. Late in the first half, he received the ball with space in the box and had ample time to shoot. However, the forward stood over the ball and went down to a soft challenge from behind, wasting a perfect scoring opportunity. In the second half, he created several more chances but was unable to capitalize on them.
Luis Muriel – 4
Following the trend of Inter’s forwards, Muriel had a dreadful match. The usually elite striker was poor on the ball, with the opposing backline disrupting his possession. His first shot came in the 80th minute, when he wasted a one-on-one chance against Handanovic.
Substitutes
Aleksei Miranchuk – N/A
Despite Matteo Bonetti reporting that Miranchuk is Genoa-bound, the winger still took the pitch late for Atalanta.
Davide Zappacosta – N/A
Roberto Piccoli – N/A
Feels like almost every wing back turns into Superman playing for Gasperini- Pezzella been valuable to Atalanta and he’s their third string left back
— David Amoyal (@DavidAmoyal) January 16, 2022
Inter
Samir Handanovic – 7
Atalanta frequently pressured the Inter goalkeeper, but his distribution was consistent throughout the match. He made a fantastic save on Pessina early in the second half and was in generally strong form.
Alessandro Bastoni – 7.5
The centre-back was frequently on the ball and dealt well with Atalanta’s high press. He made several strong challenges and distributed consistently from the back. After scoring in Inter’s previous match, Bastoni turned in another solid performance.
Milan Skriniar – 7
Like his partner, Skriniar also played well, make several intelligent challenges. He had one mis-timed tackle that nearly led to disaster, but he was otherwise in-form.
Danilo D’Ambrosio – 6
D’Ambrosio played as a centre-back and was aerially dominant throughout the match. However, he missed a prime one-on-one chance late in the game.
Matteo Darmian – 5
Unable to effectively create on the left wing, the defender was left building play from the midfield. Denzel Dumfries’ late introduction as a substitute showed clearly why Darmian is not the full-time starter.
Ivan Perisic – 6
Perisic was inconsistent, flashing his creativity occasionally, but he was generally limited on the left wing.
Nicolo Barella – 8
Perhaps his side’s best player, Barella was a force in the midfield. He put in a strong effort on defense and constantly looked to slide in through-balls past the hosts’ defense.
Hakan Calhanoglu – 5
While his counterpart had an effective day, Calhanoglu was not in good form. The Turk failed to involve himself in build-up play and lacked creativity. He also mishit several corner kicks, sending them well over the box.
Marcelo Brozovic – 7
Brozovic was his typical self, being a crucial contributor to both the offense and the defense. He was especially effective in the first half, but his form dropped slightly in the second.
Edin Dzeko – 4.5
Despite looking strong when holding up the ball, Dzeko had a rough match. The Bosnian missed three headers inside the box and should have helped his side to a win.
Alexis Sanchez – 4.5
Sanchez was another Inter attacker who had a poor day at the office. He squandered two prime scoring chances and was dispossessed far too frequently in the attacking third. While the striker showcased his impressive technical ability, he was simply not good enough.
Substitutes
Denzel Dumfries – 7
Despite coming on late, Dumfries brought pace to the left wing and helped Inter create several chances.