Arsenal played their first match to begin the UCL season against Atalanta BC in Bergamo. The game ended in a 0-0 draw and was a bit of a snoozefest. With mediocre performance from the midfield and an underwhelming performance by the attackers, the Arsenal defense saved the day.
The game was expected to be a goal fest with Atalanta being good at offense and not so good at defense. Low ball retention, injuries, and focus on upcoming matches all played a part in Arsenal’s disappointing performance. Let’s look at how Arsenal played, what went wrong, and the top performers.
The Atalanta Challenge
Arsenal were in the middle of a few tough fixtures when they faced Atalanta midweek in the Champions League. The Italian squad have had a mixed start to the season. Regularly scoring and conceding goals, they are a formidable attack but are defensively compromised. They stuck to their plan and were able to keep Arsenal off the ball for more than half the game.
They did not allow Arsenal to build on the back of the first 20 minutes, where they looked sharp. The Londoners only had nine touches in the Atalanta box which is unbelievable. Lookman was kept in check just like Bukayo Saka. Raya produced a spectacular double save, denying Retegui’s penalty and the follow-up. Atalanta stuck to their plan and played better. If it wasn’t for a superhuman effort by the keeper, Atalanta would’ve beaten Arsenal at home, in a match where they controlled almost every aspect of the game.
Arsenal’s problems
Arsenal looked unprepared and unfocused. It seemed as if the entire team had their mind on the clash against City and not this match. The first 20 minutes were good, Arsenal looked threatening and were pushing the ball in the right spaces but with no goal to show for it. Atalanta looked to break every time they recovered the ball further up the pitch. Odegaard’s absence was felt, with nobody to combine with Bukayo Saka, the attack dried up. The midfield gave the ball away many times, that too very cheaply and it was Raya, Saliba, and Gabriel who saved Arteta’s team.
Havertz playing in midfield, did what was expected of him but up top, he was dearly missed. Martinelli had chances to score but his finishing let him down. Gabriel Jesus wasn’t very effective overall and Trossard’s decision-making in good positions was poor. Coming out with a point after such an abysmal performance was Arsenal’s biggest achievement of the night.
Stars of the night
The one point that Arsenal got against Atalanta was because of their defense. They did concede a penalty and allowed a few really good chances but were class overall. William Saliba and Gabriel are slowly entering the conversation of the best center-back pairings in the world. The two defenders along with Spanish goalkeeper David Raya were on top.
It was the three of them who saved Arsenal in the game. Even though they defended well as a team, it was David Raya who produced an excellent double save. He was named the man of the match for his game-defining saves.
On a day when things did not work out offensively, the defense stepped up to secure a point. Arsenal looked much better in the first half but were outplayed in the second. A few chances here and there, but nothing concrete. Sloppy passing due to lack of focus was the reason behind Arsenal not being able to get through the opposition midfield. A team that wishes to challenge for the UCL should perform better than this even without their star playmaker. With the title races being a marathon and not a sprint, Arsenal need to get back up and earn three points at home against a dangerous Paris Saint Germain.
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