Arsenal begin their Champions League campaign with a trip to Bergamo to face Atalanta.
The Gunners are high on confidence after picking up a win in the North London Derby. Mikel Arteta was without seven players for the game against Tottenham, but he still managed to get the three points.
That has raised the spirits around the club, and all eyes are now on the Champions League to see what Arsenal can do against Atalanta.
However, the game in Italy will be a very difficult test for the Gunners.
Jose Mourinho’s verdict on Atalanta is a warning for Arsenal
Atalanta are a very good team.
Gian Piero Gasperini led them to the Europa League title in the 2023/24 season, beating the likes of Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen to win the trophy.
The Serie A side don’t often get the kind of attention that the two Milan clubs, Napoli and Juventus do, but they are still a very tough side to beat.
Jose Mourinho, during his time as the manager of AS Roma, came up against Atalanta on a few occasions, and he always found it difficult.
The Special One, in a press conference in January 2024, hailed Gasperini’s side and claimed that they are so good that they can play with their eyes closed.
That should give Arteta some food for thought ahead of the game in Bergamo on Thursday.
Mourinho said, as per Football Italia: “The match is of a high level, the opponent is of a high level, there are lots of good players, Atalanta is an excellent team. The game will be difficult, like Napoli, Juventus and then Lazio and Milan, the level of the opponents never drops.
”They have everything. Quality, experience, options, they have had the same coach for many years, with the same philosophy, the same way of playing, he is very empathetic.
“It is a team that can play with its eyes closed, that understands the coach with their eyes closed, a team that has the ideal personnel to play their system.
“We won two years ago, last year we lost one of our best games at home. It will always be difficult, but this is who we are, we are tough, we are not an easy opponent either. We always find strength in our difficulties, they know we won’t be easy.”
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Arsenal need to be ready for a tough battle
Atalanta are a very tricky side to face.
Gasperini has taken them to a whole new level since taking charge of the club in 2016, and his philosophy makes them a very difficult side to beat.
Jorginho has already claimed that Atalanta will present a very physical game to Arsenal, and that makes this a tough test on its own.
But, to add to that, the Italian outfit is really good tactically, and their pressing combined with the movement of their players in possession will give Arsenal many problems if they aren’t careful.
It will be interesting to see how the game pans out, but the one thing that’s certain is that Arsenal cannot take Atalanta lightly.
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