Arsenal Opinion: Laurent Koscielny starred in a defensive masterclass against Napoli
Arsenal made it through to the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League with a 1-0 victory over Napoli in the second leg of the quarterfinal tie away at the Stadio San Paolo on Thursday night, courtesy of a brilliant free-kick from Alexandre Lacazette.
Having won the first leg 2-0 at the Emirates last week, the Gunners carried a major advantage into the return leg and an away goal was always going to put the tie beyond Napoli’s reach.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side were expected to put in a valiant effort to overturn the deficit on their home turf and it was Napoli who started off as the brighter of the two sides. Jose Callejon called veteran Petr Cech into action and the Serie A outfit registered a flurry of shots, only to be kept at bay by some resolute and stubborn defending from the Gunners.
Emery fielded a back four against Watford on Monday but he reverted to his a back-three system against Napoli, with Sead Kolasinac and Ainsley Maitland-Niles playing as wing-backs.
And it has to be said that the manager’s plan was executed to perfection by the likes of Koscielny, Sokratis and Monreal, though the latter did look a bit shaky on a few occasions.
On a night where Arsenal didn’t have much of the ball and Napoli largely dictated terms in the final third, the defenders looked content to sit back and absorb the pressure.
Arsenal have come under criticism at times for their porous backline this season but the defenders rose to the occasion as a unit and managed to protect the lead.
They were aided by some good goalkeeping from Petr Cech and some average shooting from the Napoli attackers, as evident from the stats which show that the Italians managed to get only 2 of their attempted 20 shots on target.
Arsenal had only 30% of the possession on the night but the Gunners had plenty of positives to take from their gritty performance. Prior to this game, it was hard to believe that Arsenal could, in fact, win games by defending deep and their strong defensive showing away from home is likely to be welcomed wholeheartedly by the club faithful.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles has really come of age this season and the youngster put up another strong display on Thursday night but it was none other than club-captain Laurent Koscielny who led from the front by example and held things together at the back.
Koscielny, 33, might be nearing the twilight of his career but he is currently enjoying a purple patch. Arsenal really missed his services earlier in the season when he was out injured and they now look a lot more secure at the back with their captain leading from the front.
Playing at the heart of a back three, Koscielny hardly made a single mistake under immense pressure from Napoli and dealt with almost everything that came his way. The Frenchman showcased great positional awareness and aerial prowess in an authoritative defensive display that spoke of pure class.
Koscielny registered a total of 8 clearances, 2 tackles and 1 interception, while also catching the opposition offside on 3 occasions.
Napoli were caught offside on 6 occasions throughout the ninety minutes and Koscielny ensured with his leadership qualities that his teammates all held a good line. Arsenal used the offside trap really well and Koscielny’s presence was pivotal to it.
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Arsenal are now set for a semi-final showdown with Valencia in the Europa League and the Gunners will bank heavily on their club-captain to deliver the goods once again.
