Arsenal kicked off their European marketing campaign final evening, and whereas it is at all times thrilling to look at your staff play on the continent, we would not be shocked if a number of Gooners fell asleep earlier than the 90 minutes had been up.
Now, a degree away from house is never a foul factor within the Champions League, and Mikel Arteta’s facet wasn’t poor both, however with little or no attacking soccer on show, it is not a sport that may go down as a basic.
That mentioned, if all else in regards to the encounter is ultimately forgotten, David Raya’s sensational double save will not be, and in what’s a slight silver lining to an underwhelming 90 minutes for the supervisor, the keeper wasn’t the one Arsenal participant who additional cemented his place within the facet.
Raya is making himself undroppable
So, after the fixed forwards and backwards about his place within the staff final yr and speak of a possible rivalry with Aaron Ramsdale, Raya has now firmly established himself as Arsenal’s primary, and the questions over his skill have all however disappeared.
The Spaniard gained the Golden Glove on the finish of final season and has began this season like a home on hearth, along with his performances towards Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa, and now Atalanta as the true stand-outs.
There wasn’t truly all that a lot for the 29-year-old to do final evening, however when he was known as into motion for the penalty halfway by way of the second half, he continued his excellent type with a sensational double save.
Now, had he simply stopped the preliminary effort, that may’ve been spectacular sufficient, however it’s the pace at which he will get again to his ft to cease the follow-up that makes it such an outrageous piece of talent and led to Robbie Savage describing it as “among the best saves I’ve ever seen.”
Unsurprisingly, the previous Brentford ace was handed the Participant of the Match award at full-time, and the Solar’s Joshua Jones awarded him a 9/10 on the evening, which appears totally justified.
General, Raya retains proving Arteta proper this season, and whereas he is made himself totally undroppable, one in every of his teammates from final evening’s match is on his solution to doing the identical.
Jurrien Timber’s current type
Sure, the participant in query is Dutch defender Jurrien Timber.
The previous Ajax star joined Arsenal final summer season, however an ACL damage within the opening sport of the season noticed him miss your entire marketing campaign. Whereas there was some concern that he would not be the identical participant upon his return, his begin this yr has put these issues to relaxation.
The 23-year-old has featured in all 5 video games to this point – beginning 4 – and already seems to be to be on the identical stage as his unbelievable teammates, along with his efficiency towards Tottenham Hotspur final week maybe his finest to this point.
Nonetheless, whereas he wasn’t as spectacular as his teammate between the sticks, the “elite” full-back, as analyst Ben Mattonson dubbed him, additionally performed properly final evening, incomes a 7/10 from Jones, who wrote that he ‘provides an additional dimension to this Arsenal facet’ which is difficult to disclaim.
Furthermore, the Utrecht-born dynamo’s statistics from the sport assist to spotlight his sturdy show. In his 73 minutes of motion, he made two clearances, blocked one shot, gained 4 of 5 duels, misplaced the ball simply six occasions, gained two fouls, took 49 touches, maintained a passing accuracy of 93%, and succeeded in 100% of his dribbles.
Finally, whereas Arsenal’s attacking gamers flattered to deceive final evening, Raya continued to point out the world why he is without doubt one of the finest goalkeepers in England, and Timber additional established himself as an undroppable participant in Arteta’s squad.