Arsenal vs Napoli: That’s what the right midfield can do

Arsenal’s midfield has swayed the course of many matches, and against Napoli, we got another token example of just what the right midfield can do.

Going into this season, there were always going to be questions asked of the defense. We knew that. But the attack was meant to carry the team, and again, we knew that. It was the Arsenal midfield, though, that was going to be the difference maker, the area that could make this club 67% successful or 33% successful.

With Granit Xhaka returning, joined by some new and exciting faces, we didn’t have to wait long to see that this midfield was going to be a reliable source of strength throughout the year. So much so that at times, it was the midfield who shone even brighter than the attack.

It all came down to understanding what Unai Emery wanted. The midfield is the one area that has been most affected by Emery’s changes because Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi are both Emery guys. They joined Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka, two established names, and gave the new manager something truly reliable.

Against Napoli, we saw a new form of that reliability. In previous midfield-dominated performances, it was Granit Xhaka holding down the fort and some combination of the other three swarming the waters around him.

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At times it was Guendouzi and Torreira, sometimes one or the other, and sometimes neither, with Aaron Ramsey slipping into the deeper role.

But with Xhaka out, it fell to Torreira and Ramsey to win the crucial battle in the middle of the pitch and they won it indeed. Particularly in the first half, these two did not give Napoli a moment of peace. They kept snatching the ball up and driving in the opposite direction, rinse and repeat. They manned their space well, waited for their opportunity and, like a piranha with boots, snapped.

It’s such a stark contrast to what Matteo Guendouzi and Mohamed Elneny did against Everton, and while some of that does indeed come from being an away match, a lot of it comes down to personnel as well. Torreira and Ramsey would have stood up much better to Everton than the two we had in play, it’s just a matter of style.

In case you needed an added reminder, just remember that this is what happens when you staff the midfield with the right types of players.