Heading into this highly touted Champions League match-up, Atalanta was struggling to capture their magical form from the 2023-24 season which saw them win the Europa League (impressively beating both Bayer Leverkusen and Liverpool 3-0 along the way) and finishing 4th in the Italian Serie A. Now, with just six points (two wins, two losses) in their first four games of the new Serie A season, a statement win against Premier League title contenders Arsenal would have been a major boost in their effort to reclaim their form.
Instead, both teams will have to split the honors, with the final score ending 0-0 and each team getting one point in the new Champions League table.
The match itself had a tempo where neither team ever looked fully in control. Arsenal’s best chance of the game came from a Bukayo Saka free kick outside of the box, where Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi got down expertly to deny Saka. The moment of the match, however, came from an incredible double save by Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya, who saved a penalty and the subsequent header that resulted from the saved deflection. It ensures that both teams sit on one point after match week 1 in the new Champions League.
The brand-new format of the Champions League debuts this season. The changes include one large 32-team league table. Each team plays eight games against different teams (four home, four away). The top eight finishers advance to the knockout rounds, while those who finished 9th-24th compete in a playoff round to decide the remaining knockout spots. The changes were said to bring more “competitiveness” to the competition. However, the increased volume of games being played has begun to make players unhappy, as evidenced by Manchester City midfielder Rodri recently telling the press that the players are “close” to striking.
Here are some key takeaways from the following the headline game of the day:
Arsenal Were Disappointing
As Mikel Arteta looks to obtain his first major trophy as Arsenal manager, he must learn from games such as these. While playing at Atalanta away is no small challenge, Arsenal were quite disappointing on the day, only mustering two shots on target — one resulting from a free kick. In the new format of the Champions League and the dynamics of the new table, it is currently uncertain how many points a team will need to advance. However, Arsenal will not want to add to their load by relying on additional qualifying rounds to advance. Their minimum expectation should be to finish in the top eight, and to do so they must perform better.
David Raya Will Become an Arsenal Great
This is now the second game in a row David Raya has made an impressive double save: once against Aston Villa over the weekend and today vs. Atalanta. Mateo Retegui’s second-half penalty was well saved by Raya, and the follow-up header from the deflection was saved well again. This could be the season when Raya announces himself as one of the better goalkeepers in the Premier League, potentially eclipsing Ederson as a top-two goalkeeper.
Atalanta Will Feel Encouraged
Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini will undoubtedly feel his team did well here. They had superior ball possession (54%), more shots (eight to six), and a higher xG (1.21 to .79), and the heroics from Raya will have them feeling hard done by. Arsenal are an incredibly difficult team to come up against, and Atalanta needed a good performance on the back of a tepid start to the Serie A season. Clearly, Gasperini has Atalanta playing wonderful football, and we fully back them to make waves yet again this season.
