Arsenal’s Road to Baku Goes Through Napoli
Arsenal face off against Napoli today in the 2nd leg of the Europa League quarterfinals. They head to the San Paolo Stadium with a 2-0 lead and their destiny in their own hands.
From mid-1988 to 1990 I had the pleasure of splitting my time living in Naples and London as part of the Naval Security Group Activity detached to Allied Forces Southern Europe (Naples) and Commander In Chief US Naval Forces Europe in London.
During that time, I got see some of the best football played by a Maradona led Napoli and the George Graham driven Arsenal. My heart loves Arsenal above all others but given what I saw in my time in Napoli there has always been a soft-spot for the Gli Azzurri/I Partenopei.
On match days the A56 known as the Tagenziale is backlogged and my normal 30- minute drive became close to 3 hours. The fans fill in Stadium fthat lies between Rione Lauro and Fuorigrotta and create as impressive an atmosphere as you can imagine.
Why is this important? Well, we’re all familiar with Arsenal’s away woes compared to their home form. They played beautifully at home last week and in order for them to advance, they may just have to find a way to block out all the bedlam the Napoli supporters create and imagine they are playing at home.
When Last We Met
The first half of the match at the Emirates against Napoli saw an Arsenal side playing with an energy and structure we’d not seen in previous weeks.
Off the ball and deep in the opposition final third, the Gunners pressed they applied pressure using a man-oriented press. In the image below – every passing option is account for as the ball is played out of the back.
What was more impressive was the how we looked if Napoli were able to beat the press or if Arsenal had ceded possession. They focused on good shape and structure to cut off any passing channels to players trying to come through the midfield.
As pointed out on our sister site, Football Bloody Hell’s analysis, the organization was sound with the fullbacks tucking in to cover any potential midfield runs into the half spaces. The net result was taking away of the Gli Azzuri’s ability to link passes and isolating Dries Mertens – having managed only 26 touches in the match.
In attack, Emery switched things up a little by moving to a 3-4-1-2 with Özil lined up behind Aubameyang and Lacazette and with Ramsey slotted alongside Torreira.
It was Ramsey however more than the other forwards that would benefit from this adjustment and his runs from deep, reminiscent of his and Özil’s first year together, caused Napoli all sorts of problems
The combination of the two playing together and supporting each other was just as effective on that night as it was those years ago when Ramsey looked like the best player in the world because of his partnership with the German playmaker.
Their combined movement with and without the ball enough to frustrate even the most rigid of defensive units, pulled Napoli apart and set the stage for Ramsey’s early goal.
It was an impressive result at home even with a dodgy second half that wasn’t as solid as the first. But it showed real intent and a commitment to taking the Europa League seriously.
The only concern is that our away form all but insures this tie is far from over.
Arsenal Approach for Second Leg
Against Watford this Monday, after going up 1-0 and playing against 10 men, the approach of Arsenal on the road as it always does perplexed me. Instead of playing like we were 1-0 up, we were playing like we were 2-0 and retreated in a defensive structure to try and hit on the counter.
You don’t have to be the most tactically astute fan to know that inviting pressure on to Arsenal isn’t the wisest of decisions to make as a coach. While we have moments of defensive brilliance, we have players across the entirety of the back four who make too many individual mistakes.
When you invite pressure like we have on the road, and you’re defenders have issues like we do, it is a recipe for disaster as we’ve seen.
Emery has to be bold here. He’s shown that he is taking this competition seriously and he is bringing out stronger than normal lineups. Keeping that in mind, I’d go exactly as we went on last week.
Come out in the 3-4-1-2 – with an energetic press and retreat if you don’t get the ball back within 6 seconds. Napoli are going to have come at us and given that their domestic season is all but done, like us, this is their only chance for glory.
It’s cliché of course but the early goal is going to decide this match. If it’s Napoli then Arsenal are going to have to open up any way and try and get that away goal. If Arsenal can somehow whether the storm and get the first goal and turn the tide, I think Napoli will fold like a house of cards.
Emery has to forgo the practical approach here. He has an opportunity to get Arsenal back to a European Semi-final (albeit not the one we really want.)
Prediction
Napoli 2 – 1 Arsenal
Conclusion
Arsenal find themselves in a very good position to advance on the balance of things. However, as we’ve discussed how we play on the road means anything is possible.
Napoli is not a comfortable place for any team to go to. They showed enough in moments last week that they have the ability to rectify their own mistakes.
The good thing for Arsenal is our coach has a strong history in this competition and it looks like he clearly wants to win it again.
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