Five talking points from Arsenal's win over Napoli

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.