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Nagelsmann's Style Bests Mourinho's; Atalanta Dazzles in Champions League

RB Leipzig's proactive play won out at Tottenham, while Atalanta's free-flowing style overwhelmed Valencia in their Champions League last-16 first legs.

Jonathan Wilson

Nagelsmann's Style Bests Mourinho's; Atalanta Dazzles in Champions League
Nagelsmann's Style Bests Mourinho's; Atalanta Dazzles in Champions League /

Julian Nagelsmann got the better of Jose Mourinho in the battle of the generations as RB Leipzig earned a 1-0 first-leg win in its Champions League last-16 tie against Tottenham. Atalanta hammered Valencia, 4-1, in Wednesday's other game.

Leipzig dominated Tottenham from the start and would have won far more comfortably but for a series of fine saves from Hugo Lloris. If there is a regret for Nagelsmann it’s that his side won by only one goal, which came as Timo Werner converted a 58th-minute penalty.

In Italy, Hans Hateboer struck twice, as Atalanta lived up to its reputation for open, free-flowing football in what was arguably the biggest game in the club’s history. Denis Cheryshev’s 66th-minute away goal, though, does give Valencia at least some hope of a comeback in the second leg.

Here are three thoughts on the day in the Champions League:

Modern proactivity beats old-school reactivity

Tottenham vs. Leipzig was billed as a battle between two contrasting styles of football, and so it proved. On the Leipzig side there was Nagelsmann, the 32-year-old poster boy for the hard-pressing school of German football, and on Tottenham's there was Jose Mourinho, 25 years older and a devotee of an older form of football, all crabby reactivity and low blocks. That is precisely how their battle played out.

Leipzig looked quicker, sharper and smarter from the opening kick. It swarmed over a Tottenham side that, playing without injured stars Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, lacked any outlet or, seemingly, much in the way of intent. Leipzig had chance after chance and could easily have had a convincing lead by halftime. As it was, the opener didn’t arrive until the 58th minute, with Werner converting from the spot after a clumsy foul by Ben Davies on Konrad Laimer.

Erik Lamela's presence off the bench gave Tottenham more edge, and it posed far more of a threat in the final 20 minutes, with Giovani Lo Celso hitting the post from a free kick and Lucas Moura heading a fine chance over the bar. Tottenham has, of late, developed a habit of pinching late goals or scoring against the run of play, but here there was no unlikely salvation, merely a sense of relief it is still in the tie.

Jose Mourinho and Julian Nagelsmann
Andy Rain/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Rejuvenated Lloris keeps Spurs alive

When Hugo Lloris suffered a fractured elbow in Tottenham’s defeat to Brighton at the beginning of October, a sense had been mounting that the France goalkeeper was perhaps in decline. He is now 33, and he had, for a few months, begun to be defined by his mistakes, notably a strange lack of certainty and poor decision-making when leaving his line–something that had been a great strength of his. But since his return against Norwich in January, Lloris has been superb, one of the main reasons for Tottenham’s upturn in form, as though the layoff has allowed him to reset mentally as well as recovering physically.

He was in great form here as well, making a string of fine saves. He turned an early Angelino shot onto the post and denied Werner in what was essentially a one-on-one duel when the forward was found unmarked at the back of the box nine minutes before the break, but the best of the lot was probably his reaction stop to his left from Patrik Schick just after the hour mark. And that’s what should really worry Tottenham: but for Lloris, this could have been far, far worse.

Gasperini's entertainers relish their greatest night

Atalanta may never have played at this level before, and it may have scraped through its group, but it looked entirely at home in the last 16 of the Champions League. Leads may not be what they used to be, and nobody should have too much faith in Atalanta’s defense, but 4-1 is a commanding position given the likelihood Atalanta, which has now scored in 16 consecutive games, will get an away goal of its own in the second leg.

It’s been a long time since the San Siro, where the team from Bergamo plays its Champions League ties, has enjoyed a European night quite like this. Valencia did hit the post in the first half through Maxi Gomez, but Atalanta, the top-scoring side in Serie A, was more clinical and threatened every time it was able to spring a transition.

Hateboer put Gian Piero Gasperini’s side ahead after 16 minutes, turning in Babu Gomez’s deflected cross, and Josip Ilicic added a second three minutes before halftime with a fine finish from just outside the box. 

The third goal, swept in by Remo Freuler after 57 minutes, was even better. Hateboer added a fourth from another rapid counter.

Denis Cheryshev capitalized on a defensive error to pull one back, and Valencia piled on the pressure on the final minutes, but Atalanta stands on the brink of the quarterfinal.

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Jonathan Wilson
JONATHAN WILSON

An accomplished author of multiple books, Jonathan Wilson is one of the world’s preeminent minds on soccer tactics and history.

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