Arsenal vs Napoli: 5 key players to steady the rocking boat

1. Aaron Ramsey

I had written this entire list thinking that I was going to put Mesut Ozil at No. 1. Thinking that it would be Ozil on his grand redemption, at home, against an Italian side that might let him play more to his liking. Not to mention the likelihood of the 3-5-2 coming back into power with the match being played at the Emirates and the players we have available.

But I don’t have faith in Ozil. Everton rocked the Ozil boat yet again and I’m not waiting for it to capsize. I’m hopping out and swimming. And I don’t think Unai Emery is going to be that far behind me.

If Emery was frustrated enough by Ozil’s performance at Goodison, we may be seeing Aaron Ramsey slotting into that No. 10 role between the two wingbacks, leaving a likely combo of Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira behind that, which is what I see happening, with Emery eager to put the emphasis back on industry and overpowering the opposition.

But even if Ramsey only plays as a partner to Xhaka, his influence is going to be far and away bigger than Ozil’s, because Ramsey is just that kid of player, who rises to the occasion and can right the ship in just one match.

Plus, I’m sure he’ll want to get a head start on trampling Napoli if he wants to have a good, fruitful time at Juventus.