The roles of Alessandro Bastoni and Federico Dimarco have highlighted the way that the team’s 3-5-2 formation has evolved over the course of the season.
This according to today’s print edition of Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport, who note the centrality of the left-sided defenders in attack for the Nerazzurri’s tactical system this campaign.
Despite nominally playing as a centre-back, Bastoni has enjoyed the freedom to make forward runs and to try to make playmaking passes all over the pitch this season.
The 23-year-old’s marauding runs through the left-hand channel have often offered the team an easy way to create numerical superiority in dangerous areas, and he was a key player in their eight-match winning run in Serie A earlier on in the campaign.
Even when Bastoni has been missing through injury, however, the tactical system has not changed, with Simone Inzaghi insisting on the left-sided defensive position as a key point in the formation.
Federico Dimarco, who can play either as a wingback or as a left-sided defender, has interpreted the position in a very attacking way when he’s played.
The 24-year-old has been one of the brightest players for his team in recent matches where he’s started in place of the injured Bastoni, as well as the team’s 2-0 Serie A win against Hellas Verona.
