Opinion: Five things we learned from Roma’s 3-3 draw with Atalanta

Website columnist Edward Stratmann picks out five talking points from Sunday’s 3-3 draw with Atalanta, including how both Francesco Totti and Edin Dzeko influenced the game…

1. A terrific start and a Spalletti 4-3-1-2

With Luciano Spalletti opting to tinker with his formation and go with a 4-3-1-2 for this match, he would've felt his decision was completely justified following his team's excellent start. With Antonio Rudiger shifting to right-back, Ervin Zukanovic playing at centre-back and Alessandro Florenzi moving into central midfield, these changes showed how Spalletti is constructing a highly versatile squad and that he isn't unafraid to make adjustments. Although things didn't work out in the end, it was nonetheless positive to see Spalletti challenge his players and produce the first signs of some impressive tactical flexibility.

2. Frustration after taking control

After starting the game in the best possible way by taking a 2-0 lead within 27 minutes, Spalletti was understandably disappointed with the way his team let Atalanta back into the game. "We missed a chance today,” Spalletti said. “It can happen. The opposition deserved it but it was clear that we took our foot off the pedal. We didn’t show the kind of focus we need to in order to get the result. We lost a bit of balance. We kept losing the ball and let them get back into it after we’d gone 2-0 up. When it went to 3-2 we could have ended up losing 5-2, but things went our way.”

On a positive note, however, it was once again encouraging to see Roma show their powers of recovery to secure a 3-3 draw, having had to deal with the shock and disappointment of conceding three goals in such fashion.

3. Digne disappointment

Having started the game so brightly and full of energy, it was disappointing to see Lucas Digne come off only a third of the way through the contest due to injury. From the outset, the French international wreaked havoc down the left, with his surging runs and pace causing Atalanta plenty of headaches. His industrious work was aptly reward when he scored Roma’s opener with a well taken finish on his non-preferred right foot.

Even though his time afield was sadly cut short, Digne once again emphatically demonstrated how important his talents are to his side.

4. Totti shines again

Francesco Totti followed on beautifully from his game-changing cameo against Bologna last week by coming off the bench to play a major role again in affecting the outcome of the match. With Atalanta leading 3-2, Spalletti's decision to throw on the legendary captain in the 78th minute proved decisive, for just minutes later Totti found the back of the net with a powerfully struck shot from the edge of the box. Moreover, his impact was further amplified when, just moments after his goal, he set up a golden opportunity for Edin Dzeko with an exquisite through ball, but unfortunately the towering forward couldn't direct his shot on target.

"When you play against a side that closes down the space, it’s right that he (Totti) comes on to pick out the passes," Spalletti noted. "They teed him up for a nice shot on the edge of the box today – he took his shot and scored a great goal. He levelled the match for us and that was important."

5. Dzeko deserves credit

The critics may point to a number of missed chances but Dzeko, who was handed a rare start by Spalletti, actually put in a very solid showing versus Atalanta.

He played a part in the build-up to all three of his team's goals, held the ball up superbly and linked play tidily, while also challenging manfully in aerial duels against the likes of Rafael Toloi and Gabriel Paletta.

Roma's sporting director Walter Sabatini rightfully jumped to the Bosnian's defence and praised his showing after the match, saying: "People are going to disagree with me, but Dzeko had a good game and took part in all of our attacking plays. After he missed that sitter, his game changed.

“He's a player who deserves respect, and often people don't give him that. He's an excellent footballer. We're all very much on his side. If people look at the game again analytically, they'll see this is true."