Arsenal drew 0-0 with Atalanta in their Champions League opener, with several talking points coming from the contest.
Not many would have predicted a 0-0 draw to play out in Bergamo as the fixture unfolded as a well-contested duel to kick off the Champions League.
It was a fair point for Arsenal, who battled hard against the 2024 Europa League winners over the 90 minutes, with the result incredibly close to being different.
David Raya was the hero on the night for Mikel Arteta’s side, as the Spaniard saved a penalty early in the second half to secure another clean sheet away from home.
- READ MORE: Arsenal player ratings vs Atalanta, Thomas Partey hugely disappoints as one star gets 10/10
Five things we learned from Arsenal vs Atalanta
Martin Odegaard replacement needs more thought
If Arsenal ever needed an indication about how much they’d miss Martin Odegaard, Thursday night’s contest gave Arteta a terrifying insight.
Unlike the usual flurry of attacks that we see from the Gunners, Arsenal were incredibly stagnant going forward, with extremely limited pressure put on Atalanta’s back line.
There seemed to be a disconnect between the midfield and attack without Odegaard’s presence, with no sign of a masked pass or unpredictable piece of magic to deceive the opposition.
Arteta selected Kai Havertz to replace Odegaard positionally however, such did not seem to work as the German’s profile has been crafted to act as Arsenal’s number nine, making the captain’s absence even more glaring.
Gabriel Jesus was inconclusive as the striker
On the subject of Arsenal’s front line comes Gabriel Jesus, who showed little sign of threat during his 58 minute cameo.
The Brazilian returned to the starting XI to show what he could do in terms of providing competition for Havertz, which wasn’t a lot.
Besides making some explosive runs, the 27-year-old’s approach seemed aimless and typical of a player who hasn’t played a lot of football this season.
Bringing Jesus into the XI was necessary as Havertz dropped back to cover for Odegaard however, Arteta must have seen that the reshuffle is not a reliable option to carry forward.
Thomas Partey must be dropped
It was presumed that Mikel Merino’s arrival would mark the end of Thomas Partey’s time in Arteta’s favoured XI, with the Ghanaian handed a lifeline due to the summer signing’s injury.
Partey was therefore handed a final chance to impress, which he did not achieve against Atalanta, as his lack of fitness and energy was difficult to ignore.
Not only did the 31-year-old concede a penalty early into the second half as a result of a sluggish challenge, but his overall performance was lacking inspiration.
There was a huge mismatch in midfield as a result, with the Ghana international looking far behind his teammates with regard to his pace in decision making.
Declan Rice in the LCM role is ineffective
Arsenal missed Declan Rice for the North London derby however, the Englishman was unable to make his presence known against Atalanta.
Some of this comes as no fault of the midfielder, who is simply not being utilised in his best position by Arteta, with Rice striving as a number six rather than on the left side of central midfield.
There’s hope that when Merino emerges from injury, Rice’s role will change to see his attributes honoured in deeper areas; however in the meantime, a tweak must be made to get the best out of the 25-year-old.
The wingers need support
Two players who are usually causing problems for the opposition were largely out of the game against Atalanta, as Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli were anonymous.
Saka had just 28 touches in Italy, where he was unable to test former Gunner Sead Kolasinac on the right side.
The absence of Odegaard undoubtedly played a significant part in the lack of attention that the wide players got in the fixture, giving Arteta something to think about ahead of Manchester City.
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