Five talking points from Arsenal's win over Napoli

Is Özil the missing piece in the Arsenal Jigsaw?

Not since the days of Dennis Bergkamp have Arsenal had a player who has taken more than two or three defenders towards him, due to his technical ability. The German international showed off all his silky skills and a whole lot more as he ran the show in the game against Napoli, one of the dark horses in the group.

The German international scored the opening goal, which can only be described as a thing of beauty. The German’s positioning meant that the goal seemed almost effortless, when it fact it was very difficult to execute. He also made the second with a wonderful run into the box before laying the ball down on a platter for Giroud to score. All of which meant that, whilst many questioned the need for his arrival, he might well turn out to be the final piece in the Arsenal Jigsaw.

Flamini, the unsung hero

Whilst Özil has been making the headlines so far, the French midfielder, on his return to the North London club, has made quite an impact already. His presence has certainly given the other central midfielders a license to go forward if they so desire, with the belief that there is someone behind them to mop up any mistakes.

Against Munich on Wednesday, M Flamini even managed to go forward and contribute a little bit more to the attack. If the Frenchman keeps up his good form, the future certainly looks bright for Arsenal as the season lingers on.

Napoli sorely missed Higuain

Before the start of the game, all the talk was about Higuain’s return to the club which almost signed him in the summer. But unfortunately for Napoli, the Argentine was injured and ended up watching from the sidelines. And barely a few minutes in, it became very clear that Higuain was an integral part of the Napoli side and without him, the attack looked a little toothless.

The injury to Higuain meant that Goran Pandev started in the Argentine’s place and whilst he did give a good account of himself, he was not as mobile as the man he replaced. Which meant that Napoli had no option but to do something that they hadn’t anticipated, and done, so far this season.

Ramsey and Giroud prolong their purple patch

Irrespective of what the arrival of Özil has meant to the rest of the squad, Ramsey and Giroud are both enjoying a fine run of form, which neither of them could have predicted before the arrival of the German international. With Özil providing all the assists, the only thing that Frenchman has had to do is put the ball in the back of the net, and that is something he has been doing with consummate ease.

The arrival of Özil has also meant that the Welshman Ramsey is now free to move around the park and has been getting less attention than usual. All of which has meant that he has gone on a goal scoring streak, which has beaten several of the most prolific strikers Arsenal have had in the recent past. It is certainly a sign of good things to come when one player can have such a transformational effect on the whole squad.

Arsenal may yet top the Group of Death

When the groups were announced, everyone feared the worst at Arsenal. They were drawn into a group which consisted of last year’s beaten finalists, one of the dark horses of the tournament in Napoli, and Marseille. Some predicted that the Gunners might not even make it out of the group.

But Arsenal have proven them all wrong and with two wins in two, they are well on course towards going through to the knockout stage. A victory over Borussia Dortmund in the third match would mean that they stand a very good chance of topping the group. And for a side that came into the group stage wondering if they would even make it out, creating the possibility to finish top of their group is eminently impressive.