Arsenal kicked off their European campaign last night, and while it’s always exciting to watch your team play on the continent, we wouldn’t be surprised if a few Gooners fell asleep before the 90 minutes were up.
Now, a point away from home is rarely a bad thing in the Champions League, and Mikel Arteta’s side wasn’t poor either, but with very little attacking football on display, it’s not a game that will go down as a classic.
That said, if all else about the encounter is eventually forgotten, David Raya’s sensational double save won’t be, and in what is a slight silver lining to an underwhelming 90 minutes for the manager, the keeper wasn’t the only Arsenal player who further cemented his place in the side.
Raya is making himself undroppable
So, after the constant back and forth about his position in the team last year and talk of a potential rivalry with Aaron Ramsdale, Raya has now firmly established himself as Arsenal’s number one, and the questions over his ability have all but disappeared.
The Spaniard won the Golden Glove at the end of last season and has started this season like a house on fire, with his performances against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa, and now Atalanta as the real stand-outs.
There wasn’t actually all that much for the 29-year-old to do last night, but when he was called into action for the penalty midway through the second half, he continued his outstanding form with a sensational double save.
Now, had he just stopped the initial effort, that would’ve been impressive enough, but it is the speed at which he gets back to his feet to stop the follow-up that makes it such an outrageous piece of skill and led to Robbie Savage describing it as “one of the best saves I’ve ever seen.”
Unsurprisingly, the former Brentford ace was handed the Player of the Match award at full-time, and the Sun’s Joshua Jones awarded him a 9/10 on the night, which seems entirely justified.
Overall, Raya keeps proving Arteta right this season, and while he’s made himself utterly undroppable, one of his teammates from last night’s match is on his way to doing the same.
Jurrien Timber’s recent form
Yes, the player in question is Dutch defender Jurrien Timber.
The former Ajax star joined Arsenal last summer, but an ACL injury in the opening game of the season saw him miss the entire campaign. While there was some concern that he wouldn’t be the same player upon his return, his start this year has put those concerns to rest.
The 23-year-old has featured in all five games so far – starting four – and already looks to be on the same level as his incredible teammates, with his performance against Tottenham Hotspur last week perhaps his best so far.
However, while he wasn’t as spectacular as his teammate between the sticks, the “elite” full-back, as analyst Ben Mattonson dubbed him, also played well last night, earning a 7/10 from Jones, who wrote that he ‘adds an extra dimension to this Arsenal side’ which is hard to deny.
Moreover, the Utrecht-born dynamo’s statistics from the game help to highlight his strong display. In his 73 minutes of action, he made two clearances, blocked one shot, won four of five duels, lost the ball just six times, won two fouls, took 49 touches, maintained a passing accuracy of 93%, and succeeded in 100% of his dribbles.
Ultimately, while Arsenal’s attacking players flattered to deceive last night, Raya continued to show the world why he is one of the best goalkeepers in England, and Timber further established himself as an undroppable player in Arteta’s squad.
