Atalanta 1-0 Juventus: 5 hits and flops as Ruslan Malinovskiy dents Bianconeri's title hopes | Serie A 2020-21

Hit: Jose-Luis Palomino (Atalanta)

Jose-Luis Palomino was a key reason behind Atalanta's clean sheet.

His name is seldom in the limelight for Atalanta. But after the Juventus game, Jose-Luis Palomino is sure to garner headlines, as he delivered a defensive masterclass against the Bianconeri.

The 31-year old showed excellent positional awareness whenever Juventus broke forward. He read the game well, making seven interceptions, the most in the game, and four clearances as well.

He dealt with Dybala and Morata's threat well, getting aggressive at the right time while also showing composure in tense moments, as Palomino turned in his best shift of the season.

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Flop: Alex Sandro (Juventus)

Alex Sandro shouldn't be a regular starter next season if he stays at Juventus.

Alvaro Morata and Rodrigo Bentancur were poor enough, and some would put either of them ahead of Alex Sandro here. But the Brazilian has been really poor for some time and was atrocious on the night.

Sandro has offered precious little in the Juventus attack for more than a year now, making it seem like he's more of a liability to the team, producing nothing of note going forward against Atalanta.

Alex Sandro is doing everything he can this season to prove he’s our worst player this season

— Khaled Al Nouss (@khaledalnouss1) April 18, 2021

The 30-year old made some vital clearances in the game but lost possession cheaply. That allowed La Dea to hit Juventus on the break, which made Sandro's overall defensive game look just as poor.

Juventus must seriously consider buying a new left-back in the summer.

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Flop: Andrea Pirlo (Juventus)

Pirlo's last few days into the job?

After this loss, it's difficult to see him staying beyond this season, as Andrea Pirlo doesn't seem like the right man for the job.

Following some promising results and performances during the opening weeks of the season, the former Juventini appeared to steer the club in the right direction. But as the season has wore on, he has cut an increasingly listless figure on the sidelines.

PIRLO: "Cristiano Ronaldo is the top scorer of this team, Of course we feel his absence.""Cristiano hasn't scored 25 goals this season for nothing. He adapts to these types of matches because he is a Champion. Without him, maybe we're missing a killer in front of goal." pic.twitter.com/yBvHFib6j4

— Everything Cristiano (@EverythingCR7_) April 18, 2021

Juventus have had no real attacking structure and looked completely lost without Ronaldo, showing no intent to penetrate the box - all of which raises questions about Pirlo's tactics or a lack thereof.

Pirlo was outwitted by Gian Piero Gasperini on the night and now faces a litmus test of his coaching acumen in the final few games.