Three positives and two negatives from Arsenal's Champions League win at Napoli

Arsenal started their Champions League campaign in perfect fashion with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Napoli on Wednesday night.

Martin Ødegaard netted the winner with a well-taken strike from the edge of the box following a swift intricate move to ensure match-long dominance from the Gunners didn't go to waste, sealing the all-important first three points of the European season.

While Mikel Arteta's side did continue their perfect start to the campaign, there are two negatives to take from the win in Naples, as well as three positives from a night that saw the North Londoners control the match, but not look overly convincing in certain areas.

Three positives and two negatives from Arsenal's win at Napoli

Positive #1: Continuing perfect start

Following the victory at Napoli, Arsenal have now won their first five games in all competitions to maintain their perfect start to the 2026/27 season. It's the first time they have managed to do that since winning their opening five in the 2022/23 campaign, a run of results that set them on the journey to where they are now.

The win in Italy wasn't their best work with plenty of dominance in front of goal, but it meant their winning start continued and it further made the point that Arteta's side will very much be the team to beat this season.

The Gunners won every one of their games in the Champions League league phase last term and fans will be hoping the victory at Napoli could be the catalyst for them to do it again.

Negative #1: Wasteful in attack

While Arsenal did seal the three points on Wednesday with a dominant performance, there is no denying that they were incredibly wasteful in attack.

Having generated 4.31 xG, the Gunners only scored once and that came from an effort outside of the box, with some worrying about their poor finishing in other situations. 26 shots came their way throughout the game with eight put on target, yet they managed to miss all five of their big chances.

Mikel Merino saw a header from close range saved by Alex Meret while Piero Hincapié somehow managed to fire well over the crossbar from yards out, with both chances being harder to miss. Arsenal's poor finishing was a concern against Napoli and they will have to rid that from their game quickly.

Positive #2: Players still performing

Even at the start of the season, it's entirely possible for some players to run out of steam and not continue the fine form they began with, but that wasn't the case as a number of Arteta's men remained at their best.

Martin Ødegaard continued his outstanding start to the campaign with yet another standout performance while Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa also made worthy statements that their form won't be dropping anytime soon. Christos Tzolis and Kai Havertz also looked sharp off the bench despite being demoted from their recent starting roles.

If the Arsenal players can continue putting in solid performances week in, week out, they shouldn't have any problem in grinding out results throughout the season as they continue their bid to retain the Premier League title, and finally win the Champions League

Negative #2: Lack of minutes clear for some

The same can't be said for some though as those who have played less frequently in the opening games of the campaign failed to take their chances with a lack of match fitness likely to blame.

Viktor Gyökeres was handed a starting spot over Havertz at striker, but he failed to make it count with a ghostly performance leading the line. While he did set Bukayo Saka up for a chance, his impact was minimal with only nine touches before being taken off after 73 minutes.

Eberechi Eze suffered the same problem as he replaced Tzolis on the left flank. While he could have had an assist for Merino's chance, the rest of his performance was well below par and much more creativity and flair will be needed from him if he is to nail down a regular spot in the team.

Positive #3: Unbeatable at the back

Even with Arsenal failing to score from their chances, their brilliant performance at the back made it look like they were never going to concede.

Napoli caused a few problems in the first-half, but they couldn't break through at all after the restart with Gabriel and Konsa among those who stood firm to deny them entry.

The hosts generated just 0.21xG during the game and had only five shots, 21 less than the Gunners, with only two of those coming from inside the box.

If Arteta's side can continue to defend like they did against Napoli over the course of the season, there is a strong possibility that they could break even more defensive records in a number of competitions.

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