Arsenal Player Ratings vs Napoli

They had to show plenty of patience in the face of Allegri-ball, chipping away at Napoli’s dogged defence before an Odegaard stunner settled proceedings. The Gunners have now gone 15 successive European games without defeat in 90 mins (a club record). Anyway, here are my ratings for the Arsenal side.

GK: David Raya- 6/10

I’m almost tempted to put ‘not applicable’ here. Honestly, the Spanish shot-stopper had almost nothing to do last night. He made a few comfortable saves in the first half (he spilt one long-distance shot). But he became more of a spectator as the match progressed. His distribution was fine, but I can’t go more than 6. Must be the dullest goalkeeping assignment in world football right now.

RB: Ben White- 6/10
That was probably White’s weakest showing of the season thus far. He never offered much going forward, often failing to beat the first man with his delivery. Brazilian livewire Allison Santos also got a bit of joy down White’s side. Not bad by any means, but Jurrien Timber’s impending return will add more energy and aggression down that right-hand side (especially against the more talented left wingers out there).

CB: Gabriel- 8/10

Arsenal’s centre-half combination was once against exceptional. Man-mountain Gabriel was a colossus throughout, neutralizing the obvious physical threat posed by United reject Rasmus Hojlund. Yet to see him have much of an impact in the opposition box (Arsenal have yet to score from a set-piece this season). But he dominated his area, resigning Napoli to just three shots on target.

CB: Ezri Konsa- 8/10

Konsa matched his more esteemed central defensive partner beat for beat, highlighting the strength in depth that Arsenal possess in defensive areas. Konsa fronted up well to Hojlund but was particularly impressive in reading the game, snuffing out several moments of danger from Allison Santos. Seems intent on making Saliba work for his place when he returns from injury.

LB: Piero Hincapie- 6/10

Hincapie was solid enough in his return to action, keeping the dangerous Politano quiet in their mini duel. I just think last night’s game was crying out for Califiori. The Italian has been exceptional going forward in recent weeks, often cutting inside to support the midfield. He would have relished Arsenal’s possession and may have helped break down the Napoli side sooner. Also, Hincapie did miss a bit of a sitter in the 2nd half. Still, you can’t criticize Hincapie on the defensive side.

CM: Declan Rice- 7/10

Declan Rice is like the t1000 of European football: he never stops running. The English midfielder left it all out there once again last night, providing all the midfield impetus playing alongside the static Merino. He looked particularly dangerous in that first half, linking up nicely with Saka and White down that left-hand side. Seemed to fade a bit in the 2nd stanza. Still, it was yet another powerhouse performance from the most consistent midfielder in European football.

CM: Mikel Merino- 4/10

May as well have been Mikel Arteta. The Spanish World Cup winner was completely anonymous in that central midfield area, outshone by Rice’s typical hustle and bustle. To add insult to injury, Merino missed a gilt-edged chance to give Arsenal a first-half lead, firing his close-range header far too close to Napoli shot-stopper Meret. He just doesn’t have the same impact starting matches (Trossard 2.0).

AM: Martin Odegaard- 9/10 (Man of the Match)

Simply sensational. The Danish playmaker has looked a man reborn in these early stages of the season, orchestrating every aspect of this Arsenal attacking unit. He was everywhere last night, threading the needle with that wand of a left foot. And he would be the man to finally break the deadlock in the 75th minute, rasping a left-footed piledriver into the bottom corner after some neat linkup play with Tzolis.

RW: Bukayo Saka- 6/10

Saka will have left the field feeling rather frustrated last night. He saw plenty of the ball and isolated the Napoli defence on more than one occasion. But his final ball was often lacking, and he missed an absolute sitter just before the halftime break. I think he could have gone more direct and shot a few more times.

LW: Ebrahim Eze- 5/10

Could Arteta’s decision not to sign an out-and-out left-winger come back to haunt him later this season? With Martinelli and Trossard departing, one would have thought that Arteta might splash the cash and go big down that side. Instead, he brought in the more versatile Tzolis (who has done well whenever he played). Ebrahim Eze just doesn’t look himself hugging the left-hand touchline, always looking to cut into his preferred central areas. He lacked cutting edge and was rightfully yanked just after the hour mark.

ST: Viktor Gyokeres- 4/10

We all know that Kai Havertz is Mikel Arteta’s pet project. And recently, that pet project has been delivering. Gyokeres really needed to take advantage of last night’s opportunity to remind his boss that he is still a viable option leading the line. And the Swede completely fluffed his lines, offering little to no threat in one of the most anaemic performances of his Arsenal career. The Swede is starting to feel like yesterday’s news.

Subs

Bruno Guimares 66th for Merino- 6/10

The recent midfield acquisition came on for Mikel Merino and provided a little more impetus going forward. Still, hardly set the world on fire in his little cameo.

Christos Tzolis 66th for Eze- 7/10

Tzolis made a real impact when he came on, wiggling in and out of tight areas like a Tasmanian devil. Provided the assist for Odegaard’s all-important goal, deftly manoeuvring the ball in the Dane’s direction after a delightful one-two. The Greek is just a whirlwind of energy.

Kai Havertz 73rd for Gyokeres- 6/10

The team just feels different when Havertz is on the field (that’s a sentence I wouldn’t have dreamed of saying 18 months ago). He never did much last night, but he carries a latent threat that Gyokeres currently lacks. Players make runs for Havertz that they won’t make for Gyokeres (they don’t have faith that they will receive the ball).

Noni Madueke 73rd for Saka- 5/10

I thought the English winger would cause some chaos as the game became stretched in the final stages. But Madueke had little to no impact, spurning one glorious opportunity to bury the game at 2-0.

Martin Zubimendi 82nd for White- no score
Came on too late to make a real judgement