'Very difficult': Mikel Arteta says Atalanta found it tough to deal with £40m Arsenal player last night
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Arsenal kicked off their Champions League campaign on Thursday evening with a 0-0 draw against Atalanta.
The Gunners didn't put in their best performance in Bergamo, but they came away with a point and they kept a trademark clean sheet.
There were some impressive performances on the day. David Raya made an incredible double save from a penalty, while Jurrien Timber also looked solid.
Speaking to Sky Italia, Mikel Arteta has reserved some special praise for Riccardo Calafiori, claiming that the £40m defender showed why he was signed this summer.
Mikel Arteta praises Riccardo Calafiori
The Arsenal boss spoke highly of the Italian.
"This is why we signed him," Arteta said.
"Calafiori has a lot of character and in these games in particular he is able to take certain positions that make it very difficult for the opponent to get a reference point."
"It was a tough week for him, as he picked up that injury on international duty, I think he came on really well."
Riccardo Calafiori is improving
Riccardo Calafiori hasn't quite established himself at Arsenal yet, but he is getting there.
The Italian appears to be improving every single time he steps onto the pitch, and he looked very confident against Atalanta on Thursday.
Of course, the fact he was playing against Serie A opposition back in his home country will have helped, but, as Arteta says, this is a player who is very difficult to play against when he's at his best.
Calafiori has a unique skillset that will allow him to be an interesting weapon for Arsenal, and there's plenty of reason to be excited about what he will bring to the squad this season.
Calafiori is just getting started at Arsenal, and there's plenty more to come from the defender.
