The game would finish 0-0 with the most defining moment coming in the 51st minute as the Spanish goalkeeper spared Thomas Partey's blushes with an astonishing penalty save. Not only that but the no.1 then hopped up at lightning speed to bat away the rebound when it looked as though Mateo Retegui couldn't miss.
In a pretty dull game, the only other notable chances fell to the feet of Gabriel Martinelli. The Brazilian – who makes £180k-p/w – failed to make the most of his openings however – a worrying theme of late, which means he has now gone 17 games without registering a goal or an assist for the Gunners.
Gabriel Martinelli Struggles vs Atalanta
Fans unhappy with the winger
Although only in the early stages of the season, the debate about Martinelli's position in the starting XI for Arsenal has already been a heated topic among the fan base. Leandro Trossard has been pushing for his spot in the lineup for some time and looked set to take it. However, injury to captain Martin Odegaard has led to a bit of a rejig, with the Belgian now playing more centrally.
As such, the Brazilian has started both games since the end of the international break – vs Tottenham Hostpur and then Atalanta – on the left wing. He failed to impress in the Champions League and fans on social media made their feelings known.
It seems as though fans aren't the only ones to notice the player's drop-off in recent months. Declan Rice addressed it when speaking to the press after the game, albeit he was a lot more supportive, telling TNT Sports (via Tribuna):
"He's so tenacious, you see him in training, he's running constantly, he always tries to get in right areas. He really wants it.
"I'm sure it's going to come for him. We really need him. He's a massive player. He would want to do better with the chance he had tonight, if he sees it back.
"But he's training every day, working with the attacking coach, cutting balls on edge of box, scoring goals. We'll stick together."
Martinelli's Poor Stats vs Atalanta
Complete zero dribbles, no shots on target
Gabriel Martinelli
A quick look at the stats doesn't make for pretty reading either. Per SofaScore, he had the lowest match rating on the pitch for Arsenal starters (6.2). He also generated the most xG without scoring, missing one big chance.
Martinelli's Stats vs Atalanta
Goals
0
Assists
0
Expected Goals (xG)
0.57
Expected Assists (xA)
0.01
Shots on target
0
Shots off target
2
Big chances missed
1
Dribble attempts
0
Accurate passes
14/20 (70%)
Key passes
0
Long balls (acc.)
0/4
Worryingly, Martinelli failed to even hit the target when the two goal-scoring opportunities fell his way – showing just how low on confidence he is.
Not only that, but he was very loose on the ball, completing just 70 per cent of his passes – the lowest of an Arsenal starter apart from goalkeeper Raya. He also struggled to be creative in other ways, giving away all four of his attempted long balls, generating just 0.01 in xA and failing to even attempt a single dribble.
With a tough game against Manchester City away next up in the Premier League, manager Mikel Arteta will have to carefully weigh up his options when he selects his starting XI. Martinelli is clearly out of form at the moment and with Trossard, Gabriel Jesus and new signing Raheem Sterling all possible options to provide cover on the flanks, he may opt to drop the Brazilian.
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