Arsenal of the Old - Le Professeur's return gift to the fans on his 17th anniversary

Arsene Wenger: Finally his machinery is working!

“We sold Özil …we f******g sold Özil ! I still can’t believe it” – a tweet read when Arsenal took on Napoli at the Emirates in the Champions League encounter, last night.

More than 20,000 Real Madrid fans gathered at the Bernabeu, a few days back, to witness the unveiling of the latest addition to their galaxy of stars. However, they didn’t turn up only for Gareth Bale.

They never sang his name during the last five seasons, but the chants of “Don’t sell Özil “ from the very same fans echoed around the stadium and last night, Napoli found out exactly why the Madrid fans did so.

Mesut Özil netted his first goal for the Gunners and Arsenal celebrated the 17th anniversary of Arsène Wenger’s appointment as manager in some style by galvanizing Napoli with a display of scintillating football. And with this win, the Gunners took a massive step towards the qualifying for the next round of this season’s Champions League.

Placed in the Group of Death, this game against Napoli was touted as the toughest test for Wenger’s boys and even the most optimistic Arsenal fan had doubts about how the team’s going to shape up when it took on the men in the camouflage uniform.

Arsenal didn’t only pass the test; they tore Napoli apart from end to end during the first 45 minutes of the game. With almost 70% possession, Arsenal, literally, schooled Benitez’s men on how to play football and put on a complete show for the fans.

Arsenal got off the blocks real quick and hit Napoli twice within 12 minutes from the start. In the eighth minute, Mesut Özil stunned Pepe Reina with a classy left-footer from the edge of the box and a few minutes later, Olivier Giroud left the Napoli defence gasping with a deft touch.

Napoli was stunned but they bled bad as Arsenal took control of the midfield. The trio of Mesut Özil, Tomas Rosicky and Aaron Ramsey lashed waves of attacks and opened up the Napoli defence like a can of beans.

The wing backs Bacary Sagna and Kierran Gibbs ran the channels with immense ease while the duo of Mikel Arteta and Matthieu Flamini locked up the threat of Marek Hamšík and Lorenzo Insigne to control the tempo of the game.

The Napoli defenders were left chasing shadows and only if Arsenal could have finished better, things would have been much worse for the men from Naples.

In the second half, Napoli was expected to come out stronger and they did. They saw more of the ball and tried to infuse some steam into their flattened mid field. Arsenal too, changed their game and focused more on consolidation rather than flamboyance. They sat back, held their shape, let Napoli have the ball and then hit them on the counter.

Even then, all Napoli could muster was a few wayward long rangers from way outside the box. The pair of Mertesacker and Koscielny stood like a rock, while Wojciech Szcz?sny enjoyed a rather comfortable day at the office.

Mesut Ozil and the Arsenal midfield dazzled Napoli last night

Arsenal played the two halves in contrasting styles. If the first half was about dazzling the opposition with quick movements and slick passing, the second essay had a more resolute look to it.

However, there was something common in both halves – irrespective of whether going up or hanging back, Arsenal showed unwavering intensity, never lost control of the game and had an eerie sense of calm about them.

There were hardly any wayward passing and whenever Arsenal had the ball, they made it count but the two most striking features of Arsenal’s game last night was their off the ball movements and Olivier Giroud’s hold up play.

The midfielders pressed and gave Napoli no room to build while the defenders were spot on with their positioning. The centre halves looked calm and full backs were at full tilt whether pushing up or falling back.

But it was Olivier Giroud and his brilliant hold up play that deserves a special mention. The tall Frenchman, in his second season, looks impressive and is growing in stature with every passing game. Not only has he been racking up his scoring tally but his link –up play with Ramsey and Özil has been excellent.

Last night, he won almost every aerial dual and held up the defenders with his back to the goal to free up space for Özil and Ramsey. The Mesut Özil goal was a perfect example where Giroud won the header, reversed flicked the ball into the open flank and made all the room for Ramsey to run at an open defence. Ramsey did his bit while Özil did the rest.

At the end of the game, the smile on Wenger’s face told a story. The last eight years have been tough. Arsenal has been the perpetual bridesmaids in most competitions and Arsene Wenger has been criticized from all quarters for sticking to his theory of playing beautiful football.

He has seen his best players abandon him and his philosophy. He has worked with a limited budget for the last few years and has squeezed out of qualification for the Champions League season after season.

But this season, things are a little different. Although it’s just the beginning of October and one injury might spell dooms day on his season, yet Arsenal are not far from Europe’s elite.

Wenger has finally got his machinery going. He knows that a midfield driven by Mesut Özil, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla could be inspiring, with the correct support from the likes of Arteta, Flamini and Rosicky. Add to that his motivation to win by playing the most ambitiously invigorating brand of football, just like Napoli experienced last night.

Even after last night, Arsenal may not win anything this season but the fans have already got a glimpse of what is possible. After the shocking defeat against Aston Villa, they wanted their “Arsenal back” and their manager, on his 17th anniversary, has presented them with Arsenal of the old – where beautiful football comes before trophies and star signings.