“He’s the best defender I’ve ever seen because you’ll be afraid to face him if you watch him play in training.”I will not enjoy playing against him if I am not a United player. According to Jurrien Timber, there is ONE defender at Arsenal who is the best defender in the world right now.
Top and worse players for Arsenal in a disappointing draw with Atalanta
In the Champions League on Thursday night, Arsenal and Atalanta drew 0-0.
In a low-key match, David Raya saved a penalty in the second half.
It was a challenging evening for Thomas Partey in northern Italy.
Goals were expected in Arsenal’s first Champions League match of the season as they traveled to Atalanta. Naturally, the result was a boring goalless tie.
Defenses dominated play for the majority of the match, so there wasn’t much goal-mouth action in either half. However, David Raya saved Arsenal’s bacon by saving Mateo Retegui’s penalty kick after the break.
Given Atalanta’s European heritage, the outcome may not have been catastrophic for the Gunners, but Mikel Arteta will likely be a little miffed by his team’s lack of creativity in the opposition half.
Here were Arsenal’s best and worst players on a difficult night in Bergamo.
Premier League MVP David Raya of Arsenal against. Atalanta: 9/10
Raya was the Arsenal man that shone out in a dull match in northern Italy. With just two stops throughout the entire game, the Euro 2024 winner didn’t have a lot of work to do, but he still managed to perform one of the greatest double saves in Champions League history.
They also passed each other by in the space of a few seconds. With a forceful palm, the first stopped Retegui’s penalty kick after the Spaniard raced to his right to meet the Italy international’s kick. However, the second was much more remarkable.
Raya got up quickly from the ground and threw himself across his goal line to block Retegui’s headed rebound with another fierce hand, preserving Arsenal’s clean sheet.
Raya was the only memorable moment of a somewhat uneventful evening.
Regarded with honor, William Saliba: 8 out of 10.
With the Frenchman so reliable in the background, you could count the amount of Saliba’s bad games on one hand. Against the dynamic and unstoppable Retegui, he excelled and earned another clean sheet.
With five minutes remaining, he produced a great sliding challenge inside his own penalty area to deny Ademola Lookman. He also won all five of his tackles, recovered five, and made five clearances. He ended up with a 92% pass accuracy percentage with the ball.
Worst player for Arsenal against Atalanta
Partey Thomas: 3 out of 10.
Partey was the only Arsenal player to have a truly awful performance at the Gewiss Stadium. He was supposed to stabilize the midfield and maintain Gunners’ dominance, but his careless passing had the exact opposite effect.
The Ghanaian only won one of his three tackles and had a poor pass completion percentage of 79% throughout the game. His status as Arsenal’s worst in Bergamo is further cemented by the fact that he was the one who gave Atalanta their spot kick by fouling Ederson in the area after being defeated way too comfortably.
Kai Havertz gets an honorable mention (5/10).
Havertz, a German international, was dropped into midfield against Atalanta despite his brilliant but unconventional career as a number nine. Though reasonable at the time, the choice proved to be unsuccessful.
Havertz, who has committed the most fouls of any player, has only won two of his eleven duels and produced zero opportunities in the final third. This weekend, he should play in his preferred striker spot.
