Arsenal travel to Napoli for their opening league phase match as they bid to go one step further and secure their maiden Champions League crown.
Pre-Match Analysis: Arsenal travel to Napoli for Champions League opener
Mikel Arteta during Arsenal's training session ahead of Champions League tie against Napoli. (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Eight years ago, current Napoli boss Massimiliano Allegri was basking in a fourth consecutive league title at Juventus.
With his stock only increasing at the time and the attractive prospect of taking on a new challenge, he became a coveted option for managerial vacancies across Europe.
This included Arsenal in May 2018, when Arsene Wenger brought the curtain down on his 22-year tenure in North London.
Unai Emery was the one to eventually take the reins and was tasked with reestablishing Arsenal’s status at home and in continental competition.
Meanwhile, Allegri opted to remain in his homeland where his success did not relent, and he led Juventus to become runaway champions again the following season.
From Milan collapse to the Napoli job
These successes starkly contrast to most recently overseeing AC Milan’s collapse in the run-in as they slumped to a finish outside the top four in Serie A.
Allegri was promptly sacked, and the club’s hierarchy labelled the disappointment of missing out on Champions League football as an "unequivocal failure."
This summer, he made the switch to succeed Antonio Conte at Napoli, but supporters in Naples have not been entirely spoiled with positivity already.
The Italian side will enter their European opener against the Premier League champions after surrendering a 2-0 lead to Inter Milan at the weekend, as their hosts staged a thrilling comeback to clinch all three points.
As for Arsenal, they also collided with a potential title challenger in Chelsea in a pulsating contest, and extended their perfect start to their title defence with an assured 2-1 victory over their London rivals.
Will Viktor Gyokeres displace Havertz in Europe?
Viktor Gyokeres was touted as the marquee striker to elevate Arsenal’s attack last summer and address their supposed lack of resources in that area.
Kai Havertz was blighted by a knee injury from the very outset last campaign, leaving the starting role to lead the line uncontested for the new signing to capitalise on.
However, the German is now fit and in scintillating form, after scoring against Coventry City and Chelsea to reinforce what Mikel Arteta already thinks of his all-round contributions.
He even produced a sumptuous dummy for match-winner Martin Odegaard to have a clear path to goal against Xabi Alonso’s men, well worthy of counting as an assist.
The relationship between these two players, currently exuding a long-awaited confidence after their respective fitness setbacks, has paid dividends only at the expense of Havertz’s positional peer.
Gyokeres has fallen out of favour at the beginning of this season and came on for his first minutes of the season as a substitute in the 78th minute against Chelsea, where his energy seemed deficient and he was unable to make the ball stick.
Rotation key to Arteta’s European plan
Arsenal’s faultless league phase record last term should render the early stages of the Champions League a straightforward task for Arteta’s ranks to navigate, albeit Real Madrid and Bayern Munich could be stumbling blocks to emulating their previous feat.
Considering Gabriel Jesus’ departure to Barcelona, Arteta should be weighing up how to rotate Gyokeres and Havertz to avoid potential fitness issues while ensuring automatic qualification to the next stage.
As long as there is attacking alignment, even if it does not live up to the quintessential and free-flowing display against Chelsea with Havertz spearheading the Gunners, Gyokeres equally has his uses in Europe beyond affording his colleague a rest.