I cannot believe how quickly the Champions League has come back around, but here we are.
Slates wiped clean, heartbreak from last season erased, and we’re ready to go again.
Ah… if only it were that simple.
If I’m honest, the heartbreak of the Champions League final defeat, is still fresh. The wound is still seeping, the stitches have re-opened… and the space for a Champions League trophy, remains in our cabinet.
Losing on penalties is always painful, but this defeat came with extra pain, because I genuinely believed that we would win it… but, it wasn’t to be.
We’ve added to the squad, and I feel that we’re better equipped to deal with the demands of a 60-65 game season.
Napoli away, is always a difficult fixture. They create a hostile, and intimidating atmosphere, for visiting teams.
The Arsenal will be ready, and we’ll be determined to start our Champions League campaign, with 3 points on the board.
We were tremendous in the league phase last season, and I expect more of the same.
The starting lineup was Raya in goal, Hincapie at left-back, Gabriel and Konsa central, and Benny Blanco at right-back.
In midfield Merino and Rice… with Eze, Odegaard, and Saka, ahead of them.
Up front, it was Viktor Gyokeres.
A few changes made, but still a strong, more than capable team, has been selected.
We started well, and were unphased by the booing, and hissing, from the Napoli fans.
This isn’t our first rodeo, so we’ll remain bullish in our approach.
Straight away it was evident that Napoli sat back in a low defensive block and dared us to break them down. We’re no strangers to the low block, so it was a case of having to just break another team down, that are not being adventurous, and have no plans to be adventurous… as they know if they leave spaces… we’ll exploit those spaces, and they may be in for a heavy beating.
We were in complete control of the game, we were passing the ball very well, and keeping possession. Trying to find ways to open up the stubborn Napoli defensive shape.
We were patient, and our patience is something that I’ve been very impressive since the start of the season. We’re not trying to force the issue… we’re not trying to have a shot just for the sake of taking a shot… we’re not just trying to get the ball into the box blindly, and hoping something happens.
We’re making sure that a pass is definitely on, before releasing the ball… and minimalizing the risk of turning the ball over to the opposition.
Yes that sounds simple and quite obvious, but this is something that we were not doing last season, because we’d become frustrated by the low block, and we were trying to force something to happen, rather than being as patient as we are being this season.
I definitely believe that this is something Arteta has implemented. A new thing that he’s conveyed to the players, or it’s a case of because we’re champions… that belief is now there… well, MORE belief should I say, is now there… and we feel like we’re in less of a rush to make something happen, because we know we can do it, and eventually if we keep playing the football we’re playing… the opposition will concede a goal.
We had quite a few shots on Napoli’s goal, but it seemed like not just the attacking players, but ALL the players, had forgotten their shooting boots… because our shots were either straight at the keeper, or they were sailing over the bar.
Two of the memorable chances that we had in the first half, was a bicycle kick slash overhead kick, from Bukayo Saka, which the keeper managed to get to… and a diving header from Mikel Merino, which unfortunately was straight at the keeper.
It was positive that we were creating multiple chances, but us lacking that clinical edge in the final third, made the first half frustrating, and left “If only” and “Shoulda, woulda, coulda” reverberating in my mind.
We We needed much better in the second-half, in terms our shooting… but in terms of the football that we were playing… it was just a case of “Same again”… and I imagine that’s what Mikel Arteta would’ve been saying to the players at half-time, because we are we were actually playing well. It was just the finishing that was letting us down, and at this level, if we’re serious about winning the Champions league… we cannot squander the amount of chances that we squandered.
The second-half began and amazingly, Napoli were sitting even deeper in their defensive block… so if arsenal didn’t know before, they now knew that they had their work cut out even more, and it was going to take something special… and much more accurate shooting, to get that elusive goal.
We were still so dominant in the game but still the scoreboard displayed 0-0. It seemed unfair, but because we’d been so wasteful with our opportunities… we only had ourselves to blame.
It got to the 65th minute, and it was still the same pattern in the game… in terms of us dominating, but unable to find a breakthrough… so Arteta decided that he’d seen enough, and it was time to make a change in personnel, in hopes that the attacking pendulum, would swing in the favour of the Gunners.
Guimaraes replaced Merino, and Eze made way for Tzolis.
In the 73rd minute, Gyokeres was replaced by a Kai havertz, and Madueke replaced Bukayo Saka.
I feel sorry for Viktor Gyokeres, simply because it was his first start this season… so naturally, he looked rusty, and he looked to be lacking in confidence.
I’m not worried about Viktor Gyokeres though, because I do believe that the more games he plays… the sharper he’ll get… and he’ll play plenty of games this season, as the schedule is so demanding, we’ll need the entire squad.
Bukayo Saka was getting doubled up on, so was unable to impose himself on the game, the way he would’ve liked. He ALWAYS has 2-3 opposition players around him.
He’ll keep learning from it, and develop his game even more.
I’m struggling to remember another time for Arsenal away in Europe, where we’ve dominated the game the way we have, against a team that just wants to defend for 90 minutes.
We struggled last season, and that was evident in the Premier League title race… but we seem to have found a way to overcome it.
The number of chances that we created tells me, that going forward, the low block is going to become irrelevant to us… and we’re just going to pick teams apart with the incisive passing, the unpredictable movement, and the intricate one, and two-touch play… in and around the box.
In In the 75th minute the goal that we had been searching for finally came, after some lovely pass, and move, mastery.
There was an exchange on the edge of the box between Martin Odegaard, and Tzolis, and the weight of pass back to Odegaard from Tzolis was perfect! So perfect, that Odegaard thumped the ball from just outside the box with his left peg, and the ball kissed the post on the way in, oh so tenderly.
It was a brilliant strike, and a brilliant move from The Arsenal, and we were deservedly 1-0 up. What an incredible start Martin Odegaard has made to the season, and what a start Tzolis has made to the season too… because that’s ANOTHER assist for him!
I’m soooooooo happy for our skipper though, because as I’ve said previously, he suffered injury, after injury, last season… so he couldn’t build any sort of momentum, when he did FINALLY come back into the team.
He had an excellent World Cup, and he has continued that form. He looks superb!
I’m sure all of the people that were saying it was time to get rid of him, as he’s “Finished” are now eating huge slices of humble pie… because he’s proven everybody wrong, and long may it continue. What a goal!! 1-0 to The Arsenal!! …and that’s how the match finished.
What a performance from Konsa by the way, he seems to have developed a great understanding with Gabriel Magalhaes.
What a great centre-back pairing they’ve been thus far.
Konsa looks like he’s played in this Arsenal team for a few seasons, and it’s only his second game!
He’s confident on the ball, he can he can tackle, he doesn’t get flustered when he’s under pressure, and he has good ariel ability too.
He could turn out to be one of the signings of the season, because we don’t know how long Saliba’s injury is going to keep him out for… but so far, Konsa looks like a great acquisition to the Arsenal squad. He had a GREAT game.
We had started our Champions League campaign with a win!! 3 PRECIOUS points on the board, after a hard fought win, away from home.
On to the next one now, which is Sunderland away, and that’s going to be a tricky, tricky, game. We drew there 2-2 last season… after a late goal from Brian Brobbey we can’t have a repeat of that this season. We need revenge!!
Yes ultimately we still became Premier League champions, but those 2 points dropped, still hurt… because it was a late equaliser.
We need to go and be the “Bad luck” for the Black Cats.
If we play like we did against Napoli, in terms of the chances that we created… Sunderland are in trouble, providing we remember to bring our shooting boots, of course. (HAHAH)
Who would your starting 11 be to face Sunderland?
Are you worried that we haven’t scored a set-piece this season? (HAHAHA!)
How do you think we can get the best out of Gyokeres?
Let me know in the comments, as usual… and thanks for reading. COYG!!
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