A fast start:
Napoli is a possession based team, they took a lot of the ball in the last game, but we mostly boxed them in. This rattled their squad and its confidence. Carlo acknowledged his team lacked sauce in the first leg, so I doubt we’ll see such a tepid performance from them tonight.
“Intelligence, I saw in both halves of the match. Heart is something we will put in tomorrow. We also need a significant dose of intensity.
“We must seize this opportunity, we need a positive mental attitude and, I repeat, a lot of heart. Napoli will put in a great display tomorrow – I believe we can do it.”
They couldn’t get their foot in the game because we disrupted their flow. We are not good enough to sit back as a team and let Napoli happen to us. We need to be offensive and play the protagonists today. That means hard pressing, that means mild violence, that means taking the initiative.
Patience:
This doesn’t run counter to the above, but towards the end of the home game, Napoli started getting in behind us with a little more ease. We cannot gift them counter-attacking opportunities, because this time, they will kill us.
Emery is on it… he gets it… because, you know, he’s paid to think about this sort of shit.
“We want to play thinking to win, thinking to score, thinking to push, thinking to stop them.
“Thinking also tactically to be together and thinking when we have the space to attack the space.
“They have a lot of players with a big quality to push against us and give us a lot of problems but we also have the players to fight against them with our quality.”
We need to be patient and smart about taking our chance, don’t offer up too much too early and sit on the backfoot. We need ONE goal and it’s likely done for them. Wait like a rattler… then strike without mercy.
Good Keeper:
Bernd Leno is without doubt, one of the best keepers in Europe at the moment. Switching up keepers in an important game isn’t always a smart idea, but Petr is a great man, he’s experienced and he’s been good to us this season.
He needs to have a sharp game today, he has to play it safe on the ball and we have to pray 23 year-old-him shows up with the reflexes.
Ramsey/Ozil/Auba/Laca:
If those 4 have an immense game, then we come away with a win. Whatever the magic Lucozade sprinkling is to get those guys firing on all cylinders, let’s get a double dosage. I can’t deal with Spurs being within spitting distance of a Champions League final… unless we’re also going to be kings of a better kind of Europe.
We need our best players to show up to the party. Ozil needs to be incisive and create chances for the front two, and Aaron Ramsey needs to show Italy what he’s all about with an absolutely BOSS performance.
Focus, focus, focus:
There can be no excuses this evening. Football is all about the big games. Napoli away in a quarter-final is a big game. There will be noise, there will be talent, there will be big players on show.
The players need to absorb the magnitude of what is going on and bring their ‘I HAVE JUST DONE A DOUBLE DROP OF ADDERALL’ levels of focus to the occasion.
Sokratis doesn’t need to land an early yellow card. Mustafi, honestly, you don’t need to drop that little shove after then 1st minute. Rambo, keep the fancy up the top end of the pitch. Auba, bury that first half chance.
Everyone needs to be at their best, we need to unleash the real Arsenal this evening, we need to have an epic night.