Gunners sneak through in Naples
thesun
See Naples n die
Gunners sneak through with Dortmund... but face horror draw
ARSENE WENGER was left reeling after 10-man Arsenal scraped through to the last 16 of the Champions League despite this bitter defeat.
The Gunners now face a nightmare draw against either defending champions Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG or Atletico Madrid on Monday.
Boss Wenger said: Of course I feel regret we didnt seal top spot. Thats the frustration because you feel there was room to do better but it could have been worse tonight as well.
Wengers men had Mikel Arteta sent off on 76 minutes after a second caution as Gonzalo Higuain and Jose Callejon gave Napoli the points.
But with the Italians matching Arsenals 2-0 in London it went down to goal difference.
Arsenal will now face one of Europes elite and Wenger added: As you say its not an easy opponent finishing second makes the draw more difficult.
Wenger admitted his side came close to crashing out but now have to regroup for the massive top-of-the-table Premier League clash away at Manchester City on Saturday.
He said: In the second half our legs went a little bit and Napoli were sharper physically than us.
Saturdays match was on our mind. We knew to come to Naples would be difficult.
Weve done our job and now we will give absolutely everything on Saturday.
How far can they go
ARSENAL made the second round despite being pitted against last years finalists Borussia Dortmund and big-spending Napoli.
The fact that with 12 points they could still have gone out was virtually unprecedented. But they will now play one of the big guns.
Manager
HAS stayed true to his philosophy and bringing in Mesut Ozil seems to have galvanised this Arsenal side.
But after coming second in the group they will now have to do it the hard way.
Success could depend on how much Wenger spends in January on stars not cup-tied in Europe.
Defence
STILL has a long way to go before receiving the acclaim of Wengers famous back five in the late 1990s and the start of this century.
Arsenal are hard to break down, though not infallible, as last night showed only too well.
They needed Wojciech Szczesny to make some decent saves, too.
Midfield
HAS an embarrassment of riches, so much so that Jack Wilshere was left on the bench last night.
Mathieu Flamini gives Arsenal what they have lacked since he left to join AC Milan on a free steel and backbone.
Their success will be largely thanks to their midfield strength.
Attacking
NICKLAS BENDTNER was the only out-and-out striker on the substitutes bench yesterday.
If they could bring in a big name in January to help Olivier Giroud carry the load, that would help the cause considerably.
Good enough to beat anyone with their first 11 fit and firing, though.
Verdict
SADLY, after coming second, they cannot avoid all the big guns.
The Gunners can reach the last eight if they are lucky in the draw but will need to play brilliantly to get past Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or Barcelona.
They will be a handful for whoever they draw though.
Gunners sneak through with Dortmund... but face horror draw
ARSENE WENGER was left reeling after 10-man Arsenal scraped through to the last 16 of the Champions League despite this bitter defeat.
The Gunners now face a nightmare draw against either defending champions Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG or Atletico Madrid on Monday.
Boss Wenger said: Of course I feel regret we didnt seal top spot. Thats the frustration because you feel there was room to do better but it could have been worse tonight as well.
Wengers men had Mikel Arteta sent off on 76 minutes after a second caution as Gonzalo Higuain and Jose Callejon gave Napoli the points.
But with the Italians matching Arsenals 2-0 in London it went down to goal difference.
Arsenal will now face one of Europes elite and Wenger added: As you say its not an easy opponent finishing second makes the draw more difficult.
Wenger admitted his side came close to crashing out but now have to regroup for the massive top-of-the-table Premier League clash away at Manchester City on Saturday.
He said: In the second half our legs went a little bit and Napoli were sharper physically than us.
Saturdays match was on our mind. We knew to come to Naples would be difficult.
Weve done our job and now we will give absolutely everything on Saturday.
How far can they go
ARSENAL made the second round despite being pitted against last years finalists Borussia Dortmund and big-spending Napoli.
The fact that with 12 points they could still have gone out was virtually unprecedented. But they will now play one of the big guns.
Manager
HAS stayed true to his philosophy and bringing in Mesut Ozil seems to have galvanised this Arsenal side.
But after coming second in the group they will now have to do it the hard way.
Success could depend on how much Wenger spends in January on stars not cup-tied in Europe.
Defence
STILL has a long way to go before receiving the acclaim of Wengers famous back five in the late 1990s and the start of this century.
Arsenal are hard to break down, though not infallible, as last night showed only too well.
They needed Wojciech Szczesny to make some decent saves, too.
Midfield
HAS an embarrassment of riches, so much so that Jack Wilshere was left on the bench last night.
Mathieu Flamini gives Arsenal what they have lacked since he left to join AC Milan on a free steel and backbone.
Their success will be largely thanks to their midfield strength.
Attacking
NICKLAS BENDTNER was the only out-and-out striker on the substitutes bench yesterday.
If they could bring in a big name in January to help Olivier Giroud carry the load, that would help the cause considerably.
Good enough to beat anyone with their first 11 fit and firing, though.
Verdict
SADLY, after coming second, they cannot avoid all the big guns.
The Gunners can reach the last eight if they are lucky in the draw but will need to play brilliantly to get past Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or Barcelona.
They will be a handful for whoever they draw though.
