Champions League Arsenal ready to defuse Napoli's 'bombs'
Champions League Arsenal ready to defuse Napoli's 'bombs'
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has told his players to watch out for
Napoli's quickfire counter-attacks when the two high-flying sides meet
at the Emirates Stadium in Champions League Group F on Tuesday
(Wednesday, PHL time).
Wenger learnt a lot about the Italians
when they drew 2-2 in a preseason tournament and is also very familiar
with their manager Rafael Benitez from the Spaniard's time managing in
the Premier League with Chelsea and Liverpool.
Napoli are
unbeaten in all competitions under Benitez, who was appointed in May,
and Wenger has identified the Italian side's breakaways as their big
strength and earmarked diminutive playmaker Lorenzo Insigne as key to
that threat.
"He is mobile, he is not tall but quick and very
good in the transition from defense to attack," Wenger told Arsenal
Player. "He is a good dribbler as well and is an intelligent mover. That
makes him an interesting prospect.
"That's what struck me as
well in the [preseason] Emirates Cup - when they win the ball they come
out very quickly with [Jose] Callejon, [Marek] Hamsik, Insigne and
[Gonzalo] Higuain, [who] come out like bombs all the time they win the
ball.
"The transition from our side from offense to defense will have to be very quick."
Premier
League leaders Arsenal, who went two points clear with a 2-1 win at
Swansea City on Saturday, have enjoyed an excellent start to the season
including their European group opener when they beat Olympique Marseille
2-1 in France.
Napoli are in similarly good shape and kicked off
their continental campaign with a 2-1 victory over last year's
Champions League runners-up Borussia Dortmund which Wenger believed
would give them extra confidence.
Even though Arsenal were beaten
by Napoli to the signature of striker Gonzalo Higuain in the close
season, they are proving to be an exciting attacking prospect with Aaron
Ramsey scoring eight goals in nine games and new signing Mesut Ozil
shining.
Wenger will be without winger Theo Walcott who has
undergone surgery on an abdominal injury, while Abou Diaby, Lukas
Podolski and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are also sidelined.
Appearing
in the group stage of Europe's elite club competition for a 16th
consecutive season, Arsenal know from experience that collecting six
points from the opening two games would put them well on the way to the
knockout stages.
"We have started very well but you know if you
win the second game at home you have a good chance to qualify," Wenger
said. "It's a game that will have a great weight on the end result of
the qualifying teams."
Napoli, who have scored 14 goals in six
Serie A matches with Hamsik, Callejon and Higuain netting 10 of them,
enjoyed a 2-0 win over Genoa on Saturday despite starting with some of
their key players on the bench with a view to Tuesday's (Wednesday, PHL
time) game.
"I am consistent rather than courageous. I have
experience and have been in Europe many times, so I know squad rotation
is necessary to make everyone in the side stronger," Benitez told Sky
Sport Italia
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