Öozing class
Not that there would have been many doubts beforehand, but Arsene Wenger’s record signing showed exactly why the club were so willing to splash the cash to bring him to North London. The German was in irresistible form on Tuesday night taking up the role of puppet master as Arsenal ripped through Napoli with a devastating first half display not seen at the Emirates for a long, long time. The metranomic Özil was at the heart of everything; dictating the tempo as Arsenal’s passing game proved too much for Rafa Benitez’ team.
Not content with simply controlling the game from the middle of the park, Özil proved his effectiveness in the final third too. 8 minutes in he opened his account in Arsenal colours with a glorious first-time left foot half volley from the edge of box following an Aaron Ramsey cutback. 6 minutes later he then drove into the penalty area from the right hand side to square the ball back to Olivier Giroud who made it two. The game was over as a contest while fans were still getting comfortable.
This was arguably the German international’s first big test since arriving at the club and he passed it in emphatic fashion. Without any disrespect to the sides he’s faced already but doing the business against Napoli in the champions League is an entirely different proposition to facing the likes of Sunderland and Stoke. If this competition truly is the stage where the best players in the world showcase their talent, then Özil is right at home.
Rosic-key
One of the best things about Özil is the way he liberates his teammates and very much plays in a way that helps to highlight their strengths. To that end, a player like Thomas Rosicky was always going to flourish when the two were eventually afforded the opportunity to play alongside one another. Such was the fluidity of Arsenal’s set up, Rosicky’s actual position on the night was hard to pinpoint. Yes, he was ‘on the left’ but much of the time he found himself between the Napoli defence and midfield lines helping to link up the play and generally keep the ball moving. A job he did superbly for the most part.
It’s a bit unfair to call Rosicky an ‘unsung hero’ but given the wealth of talent in the midfield, I’m ashamed to say that, for me, he can sometimes become something of an afterthought. When he does come in however, and of course when he plays as he did against Napoli, you realise that his experience – something others in the team may lack – is invaluable.
Flarteta
And so, the simmering debate over who should start in that deep lying midfield position never quite came to boil as Arsene Wenger showed that it is entirely possible to start BOTH Flamini and Arteta in the same eleven if necessary. In fact, seeing it in action, it now almost looks like an obvious decision – particularly against better sides. The benefit of having two ball-winners in the side meant that the rare moments when Napoli did find themselves in possession didn’t last very long. It was this midfield axis that allowed the front four players to play with such freedom. I would almost certainly look to this deploy this new tag-team partnership against the better sides we face this season.
Ol La la
Leaving aside his goal, for me, Giroud’s best contribution on the night was the delicious flick to send Ramsey away to set up Ozil’s opener.
Taking Eur chances
The Champions League is a notoriously difficult competition to win. Arsenal’s previous 16 years of failing to do so will tell you that. Beating Napoli doesn’t take us any closer to changing that stat but we are doing a fine job of attempting to navigate our way out of this fabled group of ‘death’. Two wins from two and in pole position, you literally couldn’t ask for more at this point. While nobody is daft enough to suggest we will now go on to conquer Europe, this was one of Arsenal’s better displays in the competition in recent years and if it can be repeated going forward we could well give ourselves something of a fighting chance.
Perfect 10
If you told me after the Villa game that we’d go on to win our next ten games I would have had you sectioned. The reaction to that defeat has been truly remarkable (much like that after the Spurs defeat last season). Given the manner in which previous Arsenal teams in recent years have allowed set-backs to linger and invited the obvious accusations of fragility, there is a seemingly newfound resilience and mental toughness about the team right now that can only be praised; an encouraging sign to say the very least. Long may it continue.
EXAMPLE OF AD POSITION
