Arsenal cruised into the Europa League semifinal after beating Napoli 3-0 on aggregate. After winning 2-0 at the Emirates, the away side still had to be professional away from home to defuse Napoli’s menace and that’s what they unerringly did.
The home side started on the front foot but the Gunners squashed their ego when Lacazette scored a stunner from a 30-yard free-kick. After the goal, Napoli tried to get back into the game but the North London club remarkably adjusted their shape to firmly contain them.
Unai Emery once again got his tactics spot on. Carrying a 2-0 advantage from the 1st leg, a conservative approach was expected from the Arsenal tactician. However, when the away lineup was announced, the set-up was a bold one with Aubamenyang pairing Lacazette upfront.
The intent was clear from the onset; to score and to win the tie. The brave decision paid off as the two front men kept Ancelotti’s backline under constant pressure with their instinctive switches and clever runs through the channels making life hard for the opposition’s defence.
The game management was splendid and all the decisions from the technical team proved vital. The second half strategy was superbly executed by the away side as they were comfortable playing without the ball, soaked the pressure well and recurrently sprung into counter-attacks when they won back possession.
Though having little possession, Emery’s team controlled the match and never seemed to be under any pressure from the host. They defended like a unit denying Napoli any clear cut chances to test Petr Cech. Their pressing was superbly orchestrated and only hassled into tackles when necessary.
The defence was absolutely superb the entire night and almost every ball that fell into the box was expeditiously dealt with. The match had a glum moment for the traveling fans when Aaron Ramsey went down after suffering a possible hamstring and replaced by Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
So far the Welshman has been Arsenal’s most in-form player over the past few games and losing him at this stage is a big blow. They will be hoping that it was not his last appearance for them as he will be heading to Juventus at the end of the season.
Next for the Gunners in the semi-finals is a trip to Spain where they will be facing Valencia who thrashed Villarreal 5-1 on aggregate. This will be a different task and Emery will again have to show why he is considered a master in this competition.
