{"id":619879,"date":"2026-09-10T01:34:26","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T01:34:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/619879\/"},"modified":"2026-09-10T01:34:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T01:34:26","slug":"arsenal-find-the-missing-piece-and-may-finally-be-ready-to-win-the-champions-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/619879\/","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal find the missing piece and may finally be ready to win the Champions League"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Maybe this is the difference for Arsenal<\/a>. It isn\u2019t necessarily a new attacker, to rise to Paris Saint-Germain\u2019s level, but their current attackers showing their true level.<\/p>\n

Above all \u2013 in so many ways \u2013 Martin Odegaard<\/a>. The playmaker has, in the last few weeks, been unrecognisable from last season<\/a>. And this match-winning goal away to Napoli<\/a> was the sort of moment so often missing from last season.<\/p>\n

The beautifully angled 75th-minute shot, driven in off the post in the strongest of straight lines, only served to fully symbolise the change in direction. A game that had been fairly turgid<\/a>, and reminiscent of some of Arsenal\u2019s more debated matches last season, was instead turned into something else.<\/p>\n

\"MartinMartin Odegaard scored the only goal to cement his increasing importance to Arsenal (Reuters)<\/p>\n

It was another win of champions, as well as a near-perfect start to the Champions League<\/a> campaign to continue this perfect to the season<\/a>. A 100 per cent record, and the captain looking like he\u2019s fully on it.<\/p>\n

That is worthy of a far bigger discussion in itself, especially with so many of the debates that specifically swirled around Odegaard last season.<\/p>\n

For now, though, it sharpens a discussion about Arsenal. That they might finally be there. That they\u2019re ready to become European champions, having already become English champions.<\/p>\n

\"ArsenalArsenal may finally be ready to become Champions League winners (Reuters)<\/p>\n

If the obvious line to Mikel Arteta<\/a> is that it isn\u2019t how you start but how you finish, given last season \u2013 and maybe given some of the wastefulness in this game \u2013 he knows that near-miss in Budapest was really about the whole journey; about building a squad that is a whole; that is complete.<\/p>\n

Hence the pursuit of Vinicius Junior and Julian Alvarez, to have elite forwards comparable to PSG. They were still intended to be embellishments, though.<\/p>\n

Odegaard is the core, the player who knits everything together, and who the rest of the team is supposed to revolve around.<\/p>\n

And, around him, Arteta does feel his team are there or thereabouts. Yes, up there in terms of net quality with PSG, Bayern Munich and Barcelona. They believe that, just like finally winning the Premier League, it is about those fine details; the little moments.<\/p>\n

And, crucially, about keeping players like Odegaard fresh.<\/p>\n

\"OdegaardOdegaard has reached new levels and Arsenal must now keep him fresh (PA)<\/p>\n

The sense within Arsenal and other major clubs last year is that PSG \u2013 and arguably Bayern Munich \u2013 are frequently going to have an advantage because they generally go into major games with all of their best players available and none suffering fatigue.<\/p>\n

Many will have seen the stat from this week, where seven of PSG\u2019s Ballon D\u2019Or nominees played less than 50 per cent of their league minutes. Arsenal obviously can\u2019t do that, and can instead only try to seek to replicate the same effect.<\/p>\n

They have to keep a competitive consistency without always keeping the same team.<\/p>\n

That may be easier said than done, since those who know Arteta say that one of his most pronounced idiosyncrasies is insisting on trying to win every single game.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s why Declan Rice<\/a> has been used in virtually every game and why, on the other side, Martin Zubimendi now finds himself on the sidelines so much more.<\/p>\n

\"MikelMikel Arteta is evolving as Arsenal boss (Reuters)<\/p>\n

He was barely out of the team until April last season. Fatigue was entirely understandable, and has facilitated Myles Lewis-Skelly\u2019s new prominence.<\/p>\n

And yet the absence of both from the starting line-up may have suggested an evolution, to go with how Arteta finally eased up on training over last season\u2019s run-in.<\/p>\n

In similar games last season, his staff would have expected to go all-in for a game like this, especially since it was the first in the Champions League and a glamour match at that. He instead rested almost half of his first-choice outfield.<\/p>\n

The only surprise from that was Bukayo Saka starting, when it had been anticipated Noni Madueke would come in.<\/p>\n

\"BukayoBukayo Saka surprisingly started the game, although missed a golden opportunity (Getty)<\/p>\n

Saka only intermittently elevated the game, and should have scored at the end the first half, spooning a golden chance over the bar. The pity there will be how the scoring momentum from the first two games of the season has now been disrupted twice.<\/p>\n

When Madueke did come on, he missed a big chance \u2013 a gilt-edged one on one. It maybe emphasised that remaining lack of real ruthlessness, that Viktor Gyokeres was supposed to supply but simply hasn\u2019t. Hence Arsenal need to keep Odegaard and Kai Havertz fresh.<\/p>\n

Rice, who always just wants to play, did so here in part because Bruno Guimaraes\u2019 ankle injury persists.<\/p>\n

It still felt a touch needless that he was pushing himself until the end at right-back. Jurrien Timber, at least, is expected to return this weekend.<\/p>\n

\"DeclanDeclan Rice never let up, right to the end (Reuters)<\/p>\n

Arsenal\u2019s defensive structure still stayed more solid though. Ezri Konsa has slotted in so well, inevitably looking much more assured than he did for England. There was another big challenge in this game, as he stood up to Napoli\u2019s attackers.<\/p>\n

This wasn\u2019t a Napoli on good form, though, the absence of Scott McTominay further emphasising their lack of penetration. A certain reality to the game was further emphasised with how many empty seats there were. This wasn\u2019t the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona at its most volcanic, to use the description always repeated, due to the shadow of Vesuvius. It was relatively dormant.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s said locally that\u2019s because of what the Champions League opening round has become, a feeling deepened when the team is off form. The Napoli support don\u2019t feel that good about themselves right now, after three losses in a row \u2013 something that never happened during Antonio Conte\u2019s tenure. Is the pressure already growing on Max Allegri?<\/p>\n

Arsenal\u2019s 100 per cent record continues, though. Odegaard\u2019s scoring rate continues. He\u2019s certainly feeling very good about himself right now. That has been missing, and can serve to complete this team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":619880,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,263111,263112,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-619879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-optamatchid2685380","tag-optauuid5b9qzpngqafnmsz619l3t73f8","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619879","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=619879"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/619879\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/619880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=619879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=619879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=619879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}