Arteta: Arsenal Deserved More Than 1-0 Victory, But Napoli Made It Difficult

Mikel Arteta feels the 1-0 scoreline against Napoli in the Champions League does not fully reflect Arsenal's performance, stating, "They made things very difficult for us."

The Gunners continued their strong start to the season, building on their three consecutive Premier League wins by securing a clean sheet in their Champions League opener at the Stadio Maradona. Despite dominating possession in Naples, it was a moment of brilliance from Martin Odegaard that broke the deadlock, with his curling effort from the edge of the box being tipped onto the post by Napoli's goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.

Arteta Praises Arsenal's Patience

"Arsenal were fantastic, I really enjoyed the performance," Arteta told Amazon Prime Video Italia and Sky Sport Italia. "I was impressed by everyone’s desire to give their all against a very difficult opponent. The result does not reflect what we saw on the field, as we could’ve won by many more goals, but I am happy anyway, because it is not easy to win here."

Arsenal recorded 25 attempts on goal and completed 580 passes compared to Napoli's 400. When asked if reaching the Champions League Final, after losing on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain last season, was their primary objective this time around, Arteta replied:

"We’ve just started, but there is a good record in the tournament. We put in a fine performance and deserved to win today. Napoli have players who make things very difficult for us."

Reflecting on Arsenal's strong defensive record last season in the Premier League, Arteta attributed it to hard work: "It’s not a secret, it’s the consequence of our work. Their desire to win the ball back every time we lose it is incredible, the players want to improve every day."

The Gunners are often noted for their patient build-up play and ability to wait for the opportune moment. Arteta commented on this approach: "Every time you lose the ball and allow a counter-attack, it’s a possibility, but you need to take risks against a side like Napoli and it paid off. Last season was very difficult, but we have to just keep working every day."