Scouting report: Bryan Cristante misses his chance for Atalanta against Juventus

But though he toiled away as Atalanta failed to breach the Juve defence, making a number of eye-catching runs in the process, the Italy international came up short in the inspiration stakes.

Here, we analyse the display of a man who is likely to be in demand this summer.

STATISTICS

Goals – 0

Assists – 0

Shots – 1

Shots on target – 1

Touches – 59

Passes – 48

Key passes – 1

Aerials won – 3

Tackles – 2

30-SECOND REPORT

Before Tottenham rocked up in Turin and took home a 2-2 draw, Juventus had kept 15 clean sheets in 16 games – so it’s no surprise that Cristante and Co had trouble breaking the black and white wall down.

Cristante did his utmost to pry open the hosts, popping up as the furthest forward beyond even No9 Alejandro Gromez, and bombed on, at times as a decoy runner, when Atalanta were operating close to Juve’s goal.

He also made a number of interceptions and was a willing extra layer of support when right wing-back Hans Hateboer was caught upfield, but in an attacking sense the game passed him by in the second half.

GOT RIGHT

STRIKING A BALANCE – The greatest sign a central midfielder can offer prospective employers is a willingness to get his hands dirty in both defence and attack.

While Cristante was subdued with the ball at his feet in the final third, he operated in pockets of space that deflected attention away from Rizzo down the right and his movement would create momentary uncertainty in the Juve defence that Atalanta did not have the accuracy to capitalise upon.

Though not a metronomic passer of the ball, Cristante knows how to play himself out of trouble in the middle of the park and ally that to a strong work-rate – he was chasing down the likes of Blaise Matuidi and Kwadwo Asamoah until the end – he is an intriguing option for Italy going forward.

GOT WRONG

TIMID ON THE BALL – While Cristante has no problem retrieving the ball and playing short, pretty passes before ploughing on up field, he spent very little time showing what he could do with it.

Compared to his midfield partner, Marten de Roon, Cristante made just 48 passes to the Dutchman’s 79 and though he was clearly the more forward-thinking option – it’s not a great look for someone who should be demanding the ball when his team is up against the ropes.

KEY MOMENTS

9th min INTERCEPTION Cristante shuts down an attack as he makes two interceptions on Matuidi and Asamoah in quick succession, as he helped Atalanta stamp some early authority on the game.

19^th min INTERCEPTION Another timely intervention and this time it sparks an Atalanta attack, though a misplaced pass by Gomez means it ultimately comes to nothing.

28th min LOSES BALL An unnecessary flick with his heel sees Juve intercept and launch a counter-attack, which resulted in a penalty shout that was turned down – thankfully for Cristante.

59th min BEATEN It has been a fine battle between Cristante and Matuidi for much of the game, but he lets the Juve man slip past him where he shouldn’t down the left-hand side, though the cross is eventually snuffed out.

VERDICT

Cristante was presented with the toughest test in Italian football – inflexible conclusions should not be drawn up based on a visit to Juventus.

His doggedness in defence helped prevent Juve claim a real foothold in the game, as Atalanta noticeably bossed the first half, and his game, particularly in movement has some subtle touches in attack.

In this instance, however, they were too subtle. Cristante needs to make sure that in clashes against the big boys, he uses the ball with more purpose. That he did not do so – especially in the second leg of a cup game that his side was losing – is disappointing.

A good season so far, but work still needs to be done.

RATING: 6/10

All statistics are compiled using whoscored.com