Arsenal did something vs Atalanta for the first time in 25 years and it’s not good

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Arsenal have started their Champions League campaign with a goalless draw against Atalanta.

The Gunners went into the game in Bergamo on a high following their impressive victory against Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby.

Mikel Arteta was hoping for a win and came in with a great game plan to stop Atalanta. The Italians barely had any chances apart from the penalty, which David Raya saved and impressed Gian Piero Gasperini.

However, Arsenal were really poor in attack, and the game ended 0-0 as a result.

Arsenal’s 0-0 draw vs Atalanta brings back bad memories from 25 years ago

In many people’s eyes, Arsenal were the favourites to beat Atalanta on Thursday night.

The Gunners are one of the best teams in the world, and following their North London Derby triumph last Sunday, many fans expected three points in Bergamo.

However, Atalanta are always a tough side to face, and even though Arsenal did very well defensively, lack of creativity at the other end of the pitch meant there were no goals.

The last time Arsenal drew 0-0 in their opening game of a European campaign was all the way back in 1999 – 25 years ago. That was away against an Italian side as well – Fiorentina.

Arsenal were drawn in a group alongside Barcelona, AIK and Fiorentina, and the Gunners managed to pick up just eight points out of a possible 18.

Arsene Wenger’s side finished third in the group then and failed to qualify for the knockout stage of the Champions League that season.

Arsenal finished that campaign second in the Premier League, 18 points behind Manchester United. They didn’t win a single trophy that term.

We’re not big believers of history, but if Arsenal have a repeat of the 1999/2000 season and end this campaign trophyless, Arteta will not be a happy man.

Arsenal’s next seven games in the Champions League

There’s no group format anymore, the rules of the Champions League have changed.

Arsenal will play eight games in the first round of the competition, and after the draw against Atalanta on the opening day, there are three more away fixtures and four clashes at home coming up.

Here are Arsenal’s next seven games in the Champions League:

• Arsenal v PSG – 1 October, 2024
• Arsenal v Shakhtar Donetsk – 22 October, 2024
• Inter Milan v Arsenal – 6 November, 2024
• Sporting CP v Arsenal – 26 November, 2024
• Arsenal v Monaco – 11 December, 2024
• Arsenal v Dinamo Zagreb – 22 January, 2025
• Girona v Arsenal – 29 January, 2025

All of those fixtures are tricky in their own way, and Arsenal will have to find solutions in their attack to get points on the board.

Martin Odegaard is set to be out until at least November, which means he will definitely miss the games against PSG and Shakhtar. That is a big blow.