Mikel Arteta receives triple Arsenal title boost from Atalanta draw ahead of Man City clash
Arsenal saw out a goalless draw with Atalanta on Thursday night as Mikel Arteta needed to manage the fact that in less than three days he takes on Manchester City. There will of course be frustration that they were unable to score and take all three points but this is a side who are Europa League champions taking scalps against Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen on the way to such an accolade.
Arsenal have been so good at focusing on and maximising the positives from each and every performance. A week of European action both directly and indirectly has impacted the club in positive ways as a result of their clash with Atalanta and matches beyond their control.
No new injury concerns
Martin Odegaard’s absence has been a huge blow for Arteta and with Manchester City just days away, losing anyone else in midweek would have been a disaster. Thankfully, none of the squad suffered any problems like their captain and despite the need to score which sadly was not realised, Arteta was able to make several preferable calls.
Bukayo Saka, Thomas Partey, Jurrien Timber and Gabriel Jesus were all brought off in good time. Even better was seeing Raheem Sterling, who came off the bench for Saka and created a chance for Gabriel Martinelli which should have won the Gunners the match on the night.
David Raya in peak form
The penalty save will obviously take the headlines and for good reason. Arsenal may indeed have the best back four in the league right now, certainly the best centre-back pairing, but beyond that their Spanish stopper has arguably stood out more than the four in front of him.
The saves against Wolves, Aston Villa and now Atalanta mean Raya has potentially saved Arsenal several points and they have only played five games. Going to Man City, should the champions find their way round the astute back four of the Gunners, knowing Raya is there as a final wall should give supporters plenty of encouragement.
Kevin De Bruyne absent
As mentioned, the loss of Odegaard is big for Arsenal but perhaps just as a sizeable a miss is that of Kevin De Bruyne. Reports emerging in the wake of City’s 0-0 draw with Inter Milan suggest that the Belgian will miss the game on Sunday – although it is not thought to be a longer-term issue like Odegaard.
Yet the record he has against Arsenal should never be ignored. 14 goals in 21 games against the Gunners is a record few can match and losing his influence should give Arteta encouragement but it is unlikely to change the game plan that the Spaniard has for the trip on Sunday.
