"Take a look at Bayern": Star manager is impressed by FCB

"In modern football, everyone has to find their position on the pitch, which requires balance and a constant change of roles, but in a dynamic and fluid way," Spalletti told Sky Sport Italia. "Just look at Bayern Munich’s recent match against Atalanta – they’ve given us a real blueprint for movement and positional play in football," he added.

Bayern were already leading 3-0 in Bergamo after just 25 minutes thanks to goals from Josip Stanisic, Michael Olise and Serge Gnabry. They continued in fine form after the break and had built up a 6-0 lead by the 67th minute, before Mario Pasalic scored a consolation goal for Atalanta in the 93rd minute.

Thanks to this record-breaking away win, FC Bayern are all but certain to progress to the quarter-finals ahead of Wednesday’s second leg. “I’m sorry,” said Atalanta manager Raffaele Palladino after the final whistle, adding with regard to the Munich side: “A very strong team that was truly unplayable at times.”

Spalletti himself had been knocked out by Galatasaray with Juventus in the play-off round: after a 2-5 defeat in the first leg, the Bianconeri, playing a man down in front of their own fans, managed to overturn the deficit with a 3-0 win, only to concede the decisive two goals in extra time.

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