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3 positives & negatives as Arsenal gain a point versus Atalanta
- Arsenal drew 0-0 with Atalanta on Thursday
- David Raya produced a heroic penalty double save
- The Gunners have plenty to work on before Man City trip
By Kenneth Daly
Positive #3: Good in-game management
Arteta draws criticism for his belated substitutions, but he reacted quite sharply here to keep Atalanta at bay.
His first double change happened on 58 minutes: Partey and Jesus were brought off for fresh legs just as the Italians were building momentum after the penalty miss. Then, Riccardo Calafiori and Raheem Sterling added much-needed energy 15 minutes from time to give Arsenal hope of a late winner.
Hardly rocket science of course, yet it still represented a proactive move that mixed things up while the game was still in the balance, and Arsenal could indeed have snatched it at the end with their late chance.
Hopefully it means Arteta is improving in this regard.
Negative #3: Martinelli is low on confidence
Revisiting that last remark, Arsenal might have won it only for Gabriel Martinelli to shoot high and wide late on.
The wild finish was his second of the night and epitomised his personal dearth in confidence in front of goal, with Martinelli now without a goal since he struck against Sheffield United way back in early March.
It is a worrying decline from his 2022/23 form – perhaps the arrival of Mikel Merino will help fix it – and it may see him drop out of the first eleven before long. However, Arteta has consistently shown faith in him and clearly values the other traits he brings to the table, so he might continue to get into the side.
He really just needs a goal.
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