Mikel Arteta spoke to the media after we began our Champions League campaign with a goalless draw at Atalanta.

The boss was asked about the result, David Raya’s double save and more – and here is his answer.

The result:
I think we started the game really well in the first 20, 25 minutes. I think we played with the ball in the right areas, with a lot of intention and effectively, but without creating too many clear chances. After that we lost control of the game because we were very inconsistent with the ball and lost a lot of easy balls – and against a team that plays man to man, that costs you moments of transition, because the moment you lose your man, space is created and you are either equal or overloaded in the back line. We didn’t suffer defensively – that’s the reality. But in the second half we gave away a penalty and I saw two of the best saves I’ve probably ever seen in my career to save us from that moment. After that the game continued the same way it did after the first 25 minutes. We were inconsistent with the ball. We had moments, but we never managed to dominate or threaten. Then we had a huge chance to win the game through Gabi Martinelli, but unfortunately it didn’t go in. (Overall) there is still a lot to improve.

On David Raya’s double save – and whether he feels liberated this season:
That’s a question for him, but last year was very impressive and really good, even in a different context. This season he’s started exceptionally – the save he made against Villa, today he kept us in the game. That’s the reality. That’s what you need from your goalkeeper at this level. I’m really happy that he’s in the form he is at the moment.

On the question of whether Raya is the best goalkeeper in the world at the moment:
I don’t know. I haven’t seen all the goalkeepers, but at the moment he has been exceptional for us, that’s for sure.

On the way, the team mastered the final phase:
Emotionally it was a really difficult game because everyone is man-focused, so every action counts emotionally. When we had certain moments that didn’t go in our favor, I could feel that the team was about to lose the discipline that was needed. I think we showed more maturity tonight than last year – if you can’t see a way to win, at least you don’t lose. But that’s certainly not the message I want to give the team.