Four Things We Learned: Atalanta drama throws up plenty to reflect on

In Eusebio Di Francesco 200th Serie A match as a manager, Roma fought back to take a 3-3 draw against Atalanta on Monday evening.

Our columnist looks at four key points from the contest...

Atalanta's blistering first half

After going behind to Javier Pastore's early opener, Atalanta never panicked and soon kicked into gear, as they played with great intensity and dynamism to storm to a three-goal lead by half time. Already six games and 20 goals into their season - as they look to reach the Europa League group stages - that additional sharpness and conviction was clear, with their energy and athleticism causing all sorts of trouble.

Familiar with Gian Piero Gasperini's mechanics on both sides of the ball, the well-oiled Atalanta were on the money in the opening 45.

Defensively, their man-oriented pressing scheme successfully disrupted Roma's build-up play by never allowing them any freedom to get their passing game going. As a result of this, they forced the unsettled home side into committing many turnovers or to instead play lower percentage long balls.

Then on the attacking end, they were lethal in transition, with the likes of Duvan Zapata and Emiliano Rigoni especially wreaking havoc. Zapata persistently timed his runs in behind down the left channel to perfection (as seen in the image below).

While Rigoni's acceleration, movement and technical qualities saw him impact immensely. In a half where Roma conceded 16 shots, Eusebio Di Francesco knew he had to make some alterations in the second half.

Change of formation sparks comeback

Shifting from his preferred 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 for the second term and bringing on Steven Nzonzi and Justin Kluivert, Roma were much better for Di Francesco's changes. Regaining control in the contest, they were far more stable in and out of possession, plus more dangerous going forward with Cengiz Under, Kluivert, Edin Dzeko and Javier Pastore coordinating their movements promisingly to destabilise La Dea's backline.

Moreover, having to deal with an extra player in advanced areas gave Atalanta persistent headaches, with Roma's rotations particularly generating major marking dilemmas for the away side, as the hosts now began to create far more opportunities for themselves.

Pastore's role

Having been initially deployed in central midfield against Torino last week, before being pushed out wide later on, Pastore's versatility and ability to adapt to different roles yet again gave his manager some much needed tactical flexibility.

Starting on the left wing vs. Atalanta, a move that paid off early with his sublime second minute goal, Pastore's influence then steadily decreased as Atalanta ran riot. Di Francesco's solution to move him into the No. 10 position at the break worked wonders, however, for the Argentine could use his intelligent movement and craft with the ball at his feet closer to goal to help manufacture openings.

Granted vast freedom to support attacks, he added another dimension to Roma's forward forays, as his resistance to pressure, mazy dribbling and ingenuitive passing were crucial. In addition, by repeatedly varying his positioning and interchanging with his fellow attackers, Atalanta subsequently struggled to contain him.

The below graphics show him firstly rotating with Cengiz and then secondly picking up space in central areas.

Florenzi move comes off the training ground

Alessandro Florenzi's wonderfully taken goal that got the Giallorossi back into the match arose following a flowing move that had many interesting components.

In his post-match comments, it was easy to tell Di Francesco enjoyed this one, as he admitted it was a passage that was rehearsed on the training ground.

To get the ball rolling, Florenzi impressively breathed life into the move by lofting an accurate upfield ball to Dzeko, who'd notably dropped deep and drawn his man with him. Dzeko then controlled the ball expertly with his chest under pressure.

Recognising Florenzi had astutely continued to surge forward with an under-lapping infield run - a twist that may have confused the Atalanta markers - Dzeko let the Italian inherit possession from him with a full head of steam.

As Florenzi sped towards the box, Pastore's smart decoy run vitally drew the attention of his tracker, Berat Djimsiti, to widen the opening for Florenzi to exploit.

The Roma right-back duly did so, as he went charged ahead to fire his scintillating left footed finish into the back of the net.