Why Mikel Arteta shouted at David Raya as Martin Odegaard absence blow emerges for Arsenal

Raya rescues Arsenal again

You do have to wonder how different this season could have been if Arsenal hadn’t had David Raya in goal.

If it weren’t for his superb save from Jurgen Strand Larsen’s header, the momentum of Arsenal’s opening day clash with Wolves could have turned completely. It’s probably fair to say if he hadn’t miraculously sprung up to keep out Ollie Watkins’ header the following week, that Aston Villa would have gone on to win that game. Even against Tottenham last week, if Raya hadn’t produced early stops from Cristian Romero and Dejan Kulusevski, then Spurs could easily have gone on to win the game.

Much praise has been lauded over Arsenal’s defensive unit in recent days – and rightly so. But even the best back fours in the world need their goalkeeper to get them out of trouble. Raya did that again last night.

After a cheaply conceded penalty from Thomas Partey, the Spaniard stepped up to produce a superb save from Mateo Retegui’s well-struck penalty. For most goalkeepers that would have been enough to call it a good night’s work. Raya though, like a grasshopper in his luminous green kit, launched up and across his goal to keep out Retegui’s header on the rebound.

“He’s a cat!” exclaimed Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini. While Mikel Arteta stopped short of calling Raya the best goalkeeper in the world right now, it’s hard to think of anyone who really compares to the 29-year-old.

It seems almost ridiculous to think that we were discussing whether he should even have been signed at this point last season. In Raya, Arsenal finally have their answer to Alisson and Ederson.

Arsenal sloppy again

While he was willing to praise the steeliness of his side’s North London Derby victory on Sunday, Mikel Arteta was keen to emphasise his unhappiness at how Arsenal had played on the ball. It was a similar story in Bergamo.

After a solid but unspectacular start, Arsenal began to surrender position cheaply time after time. Thomas Partey was the most egregious offender, but Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Ben White and even the magician Raya were all guilty of handing their hosts the initiative.

Even with the potential for a momentum shift after the penalty save, Arsenal were unable to change the course of events. Substitute Leandro Trossard – usually so sure in possession – constantly misplaced his final pass. Declan Rice was wasteful with the ball. Raheem Sterling, meanwhile, did well to play Gabriel Martinelli in late on, but had the England international played his pass a touch less forcefully, you wonder if Martinelli might have stood a better chance of winning the game for Arsenal.

“We were very inconsistent,” Arteta said of his side’s possessional display. “We had moments with the ball but we never got it into dominance or threat.”

For the second game in a row Arsenal looked as though they were desperately missing the technical security of Martin Odegaard. With the Norwegian skipper out for a significant period that could well be a number of months Arteta will need to find a way to counteract this. Arsenal have a game against Manchester City on Sunday where they will probably once again sit deep, but in matches afterwards against the likes of Leicester and Southampton where they are expected to dominate, the Gunners cannot afford to be sloppy in possession once again.

Arsenal learn lessons from last year

A dull away game in Europe in a hostile atmosphere where they were far from their best. This is one that Arsenal could easily have lost last year. In fact they quite literally did.

In the dying stages against Porto the Gunners were set for an uninspiring but important 0-0 draw. With possession secure in the 93rd, Gabriel Martinelli attempted a quick ball over the top to start a potentially game-winning counterattack. Instead though, Porto intercepted with ease and quickly played in Galeno who curled home for a superb winner.

This time things could not have been more different. Late on David Raya claimed a cross in the 92nd minute and sprinted to the edge of his box for a quick release. On the touchline though, Mikel Arteta could be seen screaming frantically at his goalkeeper to hold on to the ball. Moments later as Ben White thought about a bombing run beyond Raheem Sterling to get in behind the Atalanta backline, he found himself verbally collared by his manager, who did not want his right back beyond the halfway line.

Before the game Arteta spoke of his side’s need to learn quickly from last season’s experiences in Europe. If the closing stages in Bergamo are anything to go by they have done exactly that.

“I think we showed more maturity than last year,” Arteta said of the closing stages in his post-match press conference. “We could not see a way tonight to win it, so don’t lose it.”

It may not be the most easy on the eye as a philosophy, but if Arsenal stick to that fundamental principle they will be rewarded far more often than not in Europe. The Gunners are maturing.