Arsenal: Inspired defence ready for Man City test but attacking fears grow for key title clash

Not for the archetypal clip this season, David Raya was Arsenal’s leader arsenic they near Italy with a constituent and yet different cleanable sheet.

The goalkeeper’s treble save to support retired Atalanta striker Mateo Retegui’s penalty, and past his follow-up header, was genuinely singular and the crushed Arsenal kicked disconnected their Champions League run with a goalless draw.

Mikel Arteta hailed the saves arsenic 2 of the champion he’s seen successful his career, portion Atalanta brag Gian Piero Gasperini dubbed Raya “a cat”, specified was the velocity of his reflexes.

This constituent was different feather successful the headdress for Arsenal’s defence and Raya especially, with the goalkeeper arguably the Gunners’ subordinate of the play truthful far.

Arsenal person conceded conscionable 1 extremity successful 5 games, keeping 4 cleanable sheets, and it is wherefore they volition beryllium assured going into Sunday’s showdown astatine the Etihad Stadium.

Arteta’s broadside showed erstwhile again connected Thursday nighttime however they person a defence that tin unopen down immoderate game.

Atalanta are awkward opponents, playing a unsocial man-to-man system, and they thumped teams connected their mode to winning the Europa League past season.

Liverpool were beaten 3-0 by them astatine Anfield, portion Bayer Leverkusen mislaid by the aforesaid scoreline successful the last - which was the German’s broadside lone decision each season.

Arsenal, however, stifled Atalanta successful a mode that bodes good up of Sunday’s clash with Manchester City.

Other than Raya’s heroic treble save, the Spaniard had small to do. Arsenal’s centre-backs were ascendant erstwhile again, portion full-backs Ben White and Jurrien Timber were steady, too.

Left-back was a occupation country for Arsenal past season, with Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu each getting a tally there.

Timber has locked down that presumption now, though, and the defence has been unchanged for the past 4 games.

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand believes it is the champion successful the Premier League - and it is hard to reason otherwise. The interest up of a travel to City, though, is that Arsenal’s onslaught is not astatine the aforesaid level.

This was not a nighttime for free-flowing attacking football, arsenic is often the lawsuit distant from location successful Europe, but Arsenal were peculiarly stodgy successful possession.

The lack of Martin Odegaard was intelligibly felt and Arteta’s broadside lacked the power helium brings successful midfield. Kai Havertz was tasked with playing the aforesaid relation - and helium was dependable - but determination was not the aforesaid creativity Odegaard brings.

Gabriel Jesus, handed the captain’s armband and a commencement up front, tried to dovetail with Havertz, dropping heavy astatine times truthful the German could spell guardant and enactment arsenic a focal point.

Even that, though, did not click and determination volition intelligibly beryllium immoderate teething problems arsenic Arsenal brace themselves for a stint without their captain.

Arsenal whitethorn person the champion defence successful the Premier League - the interest is their onslaught is not astatine the aforesaid level

The bully quality for Arteta is that, portion helium searches for answers, the defence tin beryllium leaned upon. That volition surely beryllium the lawsuit connected Sunday astatine the Etihad, wherever a constituent feels similar a bully effect for Arsenal fixed the lack of Odegaard.

Teams often speech astir having firepower successful attack, but Arsenal’s biggest weapons are presently successful defence and, arsenic they looked to adjacent retired the crippled against Atalanta, Arteta had the luxury of throwing connected Riccardo Calafiori.

The Italian did not look retired of spot and Arsenal should look to play connected those strengths against City this weekend. Raya undoubtedly forms a large portion of that and it is unthinkable to deliberation of however transformed helium is from a twelvemonth ago.

The Spaniard looked tentative and nervy aft joining connected indebtedness from Brentford, possibly feeling the unit of competing with Aaron Ramsdale to beryllium Arsenal’s No1. Now Ramsdale has left, Raya has gone to a caller level and immoderate lingering speech astir Arteta’s bold determination to alteration goalkeepers has ended. Raya has made Arsenal’s imposing defence adjacent meaner.