Pain in the Arsenal
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Arsenal Vs Napoli: 5 things we learned – Well, that was wonderful

By Andrew Dowdeswell

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 11: Aaron Ramsey of Arsenal celebrates scoring his teams first goal of the game during the UEFA Europa League Quarter Final First Leg match between Arsenal and S.S.C. Napoli at Emirates Stadium on April 11, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 11: Aaron Ramsey of Arsenal celebrates scoring his teams first goal of the game during the UEFA Europa League Quarter Final First Leg match between Arsenal and S.S.C. Napoli at Emirates Stadium on April 11, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 11: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal thanks the fans after the UEFA Europa League Quarter Final First Leg match between Arsenal and S.S.C. Napoli at Emirates Stadium on April 11, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 11: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal thanks the fans after the UEFA Europa League Quarter Final First Leg match between Arsenal and S.S.C. Napoli at Emirates Stadium on April 11, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) /

1. Unai Emery puzzle coming together

What is clear over the past few months is that Arsenal are beginning to deeply understand what Unai Emery is asking of them. On and off the ball, the collective team is playing with a cohesion and shared intelligence that was not present earlier in the year.

There are still blips, certainly, the away form being chief among them. But this team is playing the best it has played in several years. The pressing is connected and timely; the ball moves with speed, purpose and a nice blend of unpredictable creative and well-thought-out, preplanned designs; even the defence is getting better, especially when Shkodran Mustafi is not on the pitch.

The work that Emery is putting in on the training ground is coming together in matches. This is just the latest in a string of very good performances. Newcastle, Man. Utd, Rennes, Spurs. All of these were top-tier showings from a team growing in confidence and understanding.

Next. Arsenal Vs Napoli: Player ratings. dark

The Unai Emery puzzle is coming together. And this, like many of the recent victories, is just another piece of evidence to support his work. Arsenal were very, very good indeed.