Match Reaction vs Napoli (Champions League).

[AFC Leveller]

It makes a huge difference having a solid defense that you know will keep it tight and steady. I dont wana jinx anybody by saying we have turned a defensive corner but you can see we are more mature, more balanced and less error prone. Noone out there panicked when the ball came long or when crosses came in and Napoli resorted to long shots that never looked liked going in.

Ozil again behind it all. what makes him such a great player is that his passes tend to go straight to their man and he rarely passes or crosses for the sake of it, really classy player.

[I am invisible]

Just caught the highlights - been a while since I've seen an Arsenal team looking this confident and disciplined at the same time. Good stuff.

I mentioned this on AHFC before it closed, but I'm loving the number of different ways we can use our midfield options at the moment - pick any 3 out of Flamini, Arteta, Wilshere, Ramsey, Rosicky, Cazorla and Özil and you're looking at a pretty solid, creative central trio, and a number of different ways you can shape the side to suit any given opponents. Really can't wait to get Cazorla back now - I have a feeling him an Özil are going to really benefit from playing each other.

And speaking of Cazorla, wasn't he saying he was hoping to be back for the Napoli game? What happened there?

On the defensive side of things, it's good to see everyone maintaining the same humility and work rate that's been a characteristic of this side since March - I know that should be a given at all times, but I've seen enough recent Arsenal sides who look like like they get it one week, and then get carried completely away with their own good form the next, and start shirking the donkey-work, that I find myself grateful to see it each week. This is going to be key to our season - we're on an amazing run right now, but we can't start thinking that we're so good that we can start relying on just the GK, CBs and DM to sit back and do all the work, while everyone else swans off up front all game.

Is it just me or does Giroud look a little more agile(?) this year? I mean, he's never going to be fast, or skin defenders for speed, but he looks a little bit lighter on his toes this year, and his reactions that little bit faster...

[Dein-machine]

This is getting silly now.

Wilshere could have been selected, he wasnt. That boy has not played better in the last few years than Arteta and Rosicky did today.

Jack played well against Swansea & gives us a presence going forward. With Flamster & Arteta starting we need players of quality & drive in the final 3rd. Rosicky was shit yesterday which is why he was taken off very early for a Wumger substitution.
Playing against a team that gave us few problems in attack & were defensively shit, do we really need Arteta playing backwards passes

[Power n Glory]

Jack played well against Swansea & gives us a presence going forward. With Flamster & Arteta starting we need players of quality & drive in the final 3rd. Rosicky was shit yesterday which is why he was taken off very early for a Wumger substitution.
Playing against a team that gave us few problems in attack & were defensively shit, do we really need Arteta playing backwards passes

Arteta and Rosicky weren't shit. When was the last time we played with such speed and pace? A few missed placed passes shouldn't disguise the fact that we looked like a totally different team compared to last weeks performance. One touch football, fluid movement and hard pressing.

[Power n Glory]

For the first time in ages, I saw the core trio in the middle working close together. No massive gaps between the DM and other central players. Not many occasions where someone is on the ball struggling to find a passing option because a teammate has wondered too far up field leaving the other isolated. Just good movement and positioning.

[Dein-machine]

Arteta and Rosicky weren't shit. When was the last time we played with such speed and pace? A few missed placed passes shouldn't disguise the fact that we looked like a totally different team compared to last weeks performance. One touch football, fluid movement and hard pressing.

We did but surely your not suggesting Rosicky & Arteta are helping with our speed & pace, Arteta sends it backwards & Rosicky was passing to them. A few missed placed passes isn't good enough with the time they were given on the ball yesterday, Rosicky offered us a bit of midfield spark at the end of last season & he played well but we have that spark in abundance now with the likes of Rambo, Ozil & Santi. They are all far more consistant than Rosicky with a better end result.
Arteta was doing a job as a DM which is not how I remember him at Eveton. His quality around the box used to set up a lot of their goals & he scored a few himself. He is not strong or fast enough & is the worst tackler in the team, not an ideal DM but he was given the job because we had no one else after Song left. Now we have Flamini & thats his role. Therefore unless Arteta starts going forward more & being a bit more ambitious then he's bench bound.

[Power n Glory]

http://www.zonalmarking.net/2013/10/...e-right-flank/

Good piece from Zonal Marking as well.

Playing Ozil and Cazorla out wide might work.

[Power n Glory]

We did but surely your not suggesting Rosicky & Arteta are helping with our speed & pace, Arteta sends it backwards & Rosicky was passing to them. A few missed placed passes isn't good enough with the time they were given on the ball yesterday, Rosicky offered us a bit of midfield spark at the end of last season & he played well but we have that spark in abundance now with the likes of Rambo, Ozil & Santi. They are all far more consistant than Rosicky with a better end result.
Arteta was doing a job as a DM which is not how I remember him at Eveton. His quality around the box used to set up a lot of their goals & he scored a few himself. He is not strong or fast enough & is the worst tackler in the team, not an ideal DM but he was given the job because we had no one else after Song left. Now we have Flamini & thats his role. Therefore unless Arteta starts going forward more & being a bit more ambitious then he's bench bound.

Yes, I'm totally suggesting that.

[Dein-machine]

Yes, I'm totally suggesting that.

Where did all the damage get done yesterday. Where was all the clever link up play at pace. Down the right side. Rambo was playing right of Ozil with Rosicky on the left. Nothing happened on the left whatsoever. What the hell did Rosicky do apart from pass to them.

[BOBN]

Where did all the damage get done yesterday. Where was all the clever link up play at pace. Down the right side. Rambo was playing right of Ozil with Rosicky on the left. Nothing happened on the left whatsoever. What the hell did Rosicky do apart from pass to them.

Cool, just say you cant wait till Cazorla is back. Stop trying to sneak Wilshere in on that. He played in the second half. We were superior in the first.