Arsène Wenger has warned his Arsenal players to beware
Napoli's strength on the counter-attack when the sides meet at Emirates Stadium
on Tuesday.
Both sides began their Champions League campaigns with a
victory in Group F and produced an entertaining 2-2 draw when they met at the
Emirates Cup in August.
Wenger says he learnt lessons from that meeting and is
pinpointing Lorenzo Insigne as a key element of the Italian side's ability to
quickly turn defence into attack.
"He [Insigne] is mobile, he is not tall but quick
and very good in the transition from defence to attack," the manager told
Arsenal Player. "He is a good dribbler as well and is an intelligent
mover. That makes him an interesting prospect.
"That's what struck me as well in the Emirates Cup -
when they win the ball they come out very quickly with Callejon, Hamsik,
Insigne and Higuain, [who] come out like bombs all the time they win the ball.
The transition from our side from offence to defence will have to be very
quick."
Victory for Arsenal on Tuesday would represent a big step
towards qualifying for the tournament's knockout stage. Napoli beat Dortmund in
their opening game and Wenger is well aware of the quality last season's Serie
A runners-up possess.
"They had a surprising result for many people
because Dortmund reached the final last year in a very emphatic way," he
said. "To beat them certainly is something special and that will lift
their confidence. We know from the Emirates Cup that they are a good side but
we know as well that when you want to qualify then home games are vital.
"We have started very well but you know if you win
the second game at home you have a good chance to qualify. But I wouldn't say
it's already a decisive game.
"It's a game that will have a great weight on the
end result of the qualifying teams. Let's deal well with that situation then we
will be in a very positive mood to finish the job."
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