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I wrote pre match that I wanted to see Arsenal have a go at Manchester City and not just sit back, what I guess I took for granted was our defensive stability that has served us so well this season as well as the end of last season. After a positive start we had reverted back to our old ways. Individual mistakes, players not covering others all of that on top of profligacy meant that we were never going to be able to win the game. One of the few positives was the return of Theo Walcott, he may not have been at his best in the build up but as usual his movement and finishing gave the team something it had been missing for weeks now. He had tucked away Özil's cutback to make it 1-1 but his second to pull the game back to 3-2 was a peach. Curling high past the City keeper. His return along

For the most part we produced yet another first class defensive display and Napoli had very little answer. Laurent Koscielny was superb once again. I had been thinking for a large chunk of the game that if Higuain does not score then what does he do for the team? He was invisible until late in the second half he spun and shot past Szczesny. Higuain is quite the opposite of Giroud. Giroud rarely scores from half chances but gives so much during the course of 90 minutes. Higuain will do nothing of note but pop up in the right place to drag a shot past the keeper and into the corner of the net. The goal was followed by the Arteta sending off and we were against it. The late Dortmund goal had pushed us into second place. Napoli's late second was nothing more than a consolation.

I would like to see both Özil and Ramsey rested for this for differing reasons. A fresh Ramsey would have been ideal for this given the insane amount of tackles he makes during the course of 90 minutes but he looked below par against Everton and has played more than most. Özil on the other hand looks like he could play another midweek and then weekend but I think we should start a midfield who are all natural at tracking a man and putting a foot in. If we need to score as the game goes on then he wouldn't be a bad sub would he. In the team that I have selected above, all those players like a tackle, will track back yet have the footballing quality to hurt Napoli.

I began to think about why Koscielny seems a lot less eye catching this season compared to previous campaigns and it could be because of our approach to games. We are a compact unit now so the strength is the team who defend small spaces together. In the past we played a high line and left dangerous gaps for the opposition to exploit. We relied on Koscielny to sprint and make last ditch tackles which made him standout. Our midfield, our greatest strength was off the pace. Probably due to a combination of tiring legs and Everton's excellent play. I was a little surprised that Ramsey and or Özil were not rested against Hull City the week previous given the fixtures coming up but the boss knows far more than I do. Given the importance of the Champions League I wonder if Arsene will rest any against Napoli.

Last weekend they rode their luck a little and picked up all three points at Old Trafford. Lukaku who has been a talking point in the last few days due to the loan rules, is a handful and is playing very well. These are the exact type of games where a team like Chelsea sneak an advantage by adding to good squads but without those players playing against them.

When Manchester United beat us 1-0 a few weeks back, they had closed the gap to five points, they were worried that defeat would leave them too far adrift. Today the Manchester United squad that won the title last season (plus Fellaini and Zaha) are a whopping 12 points behind us. If Arsenal beat Everton tomorrow (still a decent sized if) then we will be 15 points ahead of Manchester United in December. That ladies and gentlemen is ridiculous. Ridiculous how quickly two clubs can go hurtling into opposite directions. It should serve as a good lesson to all of us, when things seem bad maybe the solution isn't as far away as you think it is. Also when things are going well, cherish it because when you start playing the David Moyes game then well, your stack of cards call fall down very quickly.

It is one of my pet hates watching professional players hitting balls into a box with no team mates anywhere near the ball. Speaking of full backs it appears that Monreal had another quality game and I have to say, I really like the guy. I think he offers us more end product than Kieran Gibbs and gives us better width. Which I guess is strange when you consider that Gibbs grew up as a winger while Monreal has always plied his trade at left full back. Gibbs has a far higher ceiling and has been fantastic this season so I expect him to remain as first choice. Unlike Jenkinson, it seems as if Monreal can slot back in without the need for game time. Although that may be a tad harsh as Monreal has featured heavily from the bench this season, often to close out games where as Jenkinson has hardly featured.

We can cross off number four because Arsene has already explained that Bacary Sagna has a tight hamstring. Carl Jenkinson will be brought back into the fold after perhaps subtly being edged out a little to regain some of his form/confidence. Long term I have no worries about Jenko at all. He has the right hunger and attitude as well as having played long spells in the team last season and looking impressive with it. As long as his sharpness and confidence are good tonight then he will be fine. Now as for the rest of the above personnel, Arsene has an issue. All those players are key players for this team and it is why they have played the most football this season. You leave all five out of the team and as I said above you lose not only quality but you lose continuity and understanding. If as Arsene eluded to in his press conference, he rotates game by game it means that in some very big games we will be starting with Özil or Giroud or Ramsey on the bench. I'm not sure we want to do that.

Özil's two assists were pin point and that is why we have him, it is why we paid so much money. He has that extra bit of quality in his final pass that perhaps someone like Rosicky (as much as I love him) doesn't have. There have been complaints that he hasn't been grabbing games by the scruff of the neck and dominating matches but we already have the best midfielder in the Premier League (at least) doing that in Aaron Ramsey. Flamini's lashed strike from Özil's slid pass was enjoyable

But with Defoe, of course, we don’t know if private conversations have taken place with Roy Hodgson, ruling out the striker’s chances – or if his face just doesn’t fit with he new Spurs manager Tim Sherwood. But one thing is for sure; Jermain Defoe effectively put to bed his international career by what seems to be his own decision during the run-up to what would be his last chance of a World Cup; the pinnacle of all footballers’ dreams.