Arsenal escaped with a goalless draw against Atalanta in the opening game of their Champions League. The Gunners are seeking the first Champions League title in their club history, but their journey has started with a difficult match against the Italian giants away from home. However, the Gunners have been resilient in defense throughout the season, conceding only one goal across their entire 24/25 season so far. That goal came in a 1-1 draw against Brighton at home, where they were controversially down to 10 men.
David Raya: Man of the Match for Arsenal
Arsenal fans will be disappointed by their team’s performance on their opening Champions League night against Atalanta. However, it could have been worse without their keeper, David Raya. The Spaniard was one of the standout players in the Premier League season, winning the Golden Glove for the Gunners. He was the first Arsenal keeper since Petr Cech in 2015/16 to achieve this milestone. Many people initially doubted Raya after he was a second choice behind Aaron Ramsdale. Now, in his second full season as Arsenal’s main goalkeeper, he has looked at his sensational best.
In the game against Atalanta, Mikel Arteta‘s team was on the brink of going a goal down in the 51st minute after Thomas Partey brought down Ederson. After a lengthy review, VAR overturned the decision in favor of Atalanta. However, Raya was there to stop Mateo Retegui from the spot, which increased the host’s frustration. However, the chances were at minimal for both the teams as the 29-year-old didn’t have many more saves to do for the remainder of the match. In other quality chances, Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka had a free kick, which Marco Carnesecchi saved. The Italian was also at the right place to deny Partey’s follow-up.
Arsenal’s Lack of Dominance without Martin Odegaard
Arsenal had a memorable win against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend after Gabriel Magalhães’ winner away from home. However, many pundits cited the Gunners’ lack of creativity and fluidity in their play model. It is no exaggeration to say that Mikel Arteta’s team is missing Martin Odegaard, who is set to be on the sidelines for an extended period. The Norwegian midfielder sustained an injury during the scored draw against Brighton. Arteta confirmed in the press conference that the injury was worse than expected.
Odegaard’s absence was heavily felt in the game against Atalanta, as the Gunners struggled to create chances. In fact, the Londoners did not have a single shot between the 18th and 75th minutes, respectively. Arsenal had a total of six shots compared to Atalanta’s eight, and the only two shots on target were the double chances they had through Saka and Partey. This is massively worrying for Arsenal as they travel to the Etihad Stadium for a potential season-defining match against champions Manchester City.
The teams had a goalless draw in their last season’s encounter at the Etihad Stadium, and Arteta would be happy to achieve the same scoreline this season. Pep Guardiola’s team also had a goalless draw in their opening Champions League group game against Inter Milan.
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