As Arsenal they approached Sunday's North London derby, they made heavy weather of securing a 2-1 victory over the Greek side, Olympiakos. If this was meant to be the equivalent of a tune-up fight for the imminent encounter with Tottenham, Arsenal took a few unexpected sharp blows, before recovering to win on points.
1st Half
Despite going into a 2-0 lead, it seemed as if Arsenal were trying to surpass recent efforts at Old Trafford and Ewood Park, and make this their worst half of football for the season.
The plus points were few, but telling. Both Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Andre Santos marked their Champions League debuts for the club by scoring after both capitalising on a fortuitous run of the ball to finish with aplomb when presented with good chances.
But the goals came against the run of play, as Olympiakos - inspired by Kevin Mirallas - looked the more threatening, seemingly getting through the Arsenal back line at will. For Arsenal fans, it beared worrying similarities to the early exchanges a fortnight ago against Borussia Dortmund. Wojech Szczesny was left fuming as their defence was far too stretched; Mikel Arteta - who had a marvellous game - cleared a goalbound shot off the line, while other attempts went begging.
But after Marouane Chamakh missed a good opportunity to make it 3-0 and put the game to bed, Olympiakos got the goal their first-half display merited. Arsenal went dozing as the Greeks took a short corner, Oxlade-Chamberlain was left defending against two players, and Ariel Ibagaza's cross found an unmarked David Fuster, who ran away from a ball-watching Andrey Arshavin to head home.
To continue the boxing metaphor, Arsenal were like a fighter on the ropes, in desperate need of the bell. Mercifully, the half-time whistle arrived with the Gunners holding on to their 2-1 advantage.
2nd Half
It's safe to assume that Pat Rice has stern words with his charges before they came out for the second-half. Arsenal increasingly pressed the ball, and denied Olympiakos a great deal of the time and space they had been afforded in the first period. It did lead to them conceding an alarming amount of free-kicks (England rugby fans would surely be able to relate), but meant that they kept the Greek side away from the penalty area. Where the away side had played their way into Arsenal's box comfortably in the opening 45 minutes, they were now reduced to crosses and long range efforts - one of which, from Vassillis Torosidis, crashed off Szczesny's crossbar.
However, Arsenal were brighter and had good chances of their own; Oxlade-Chamberlain and Arshavin were kept out by good saves from Franco Constanzo in the Olympiakos goal, while plenty of times the Gunners final ball let them down after working themselves into promising positions. But they saw out the game and held on to win the match with a professionalism that many have accused Arsenal of lacking in the past.
Conclusion
As part of the Sky Sports commentary team, former Arsenal striker Alan Smith commented that we are used to watching Arsenal keep the ball for 15+ passes when building possession. Well it seems that these days are gone. With Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri departed, and Aaron Ramsay on the bench until the 68th minute, Arsenal struggled to keep the ball for any prolonged period. Both Tomas Rosicky and Emmanuel Frimpong were dreadful in possession, meaning the home side were often left out of position as Olympiakos countered with menace.
Arteta was a notable exception, as he passed the ball with purpose. But he cannot hold a midfield together on his own, and looks increasingly like he's waiting for assistance from Jack Wilshere to share the load in the engine room. We may not see the best from the Spaniard until Wilshere returns from injury in 2012.
As well as Arteta, another huge plus was the display of Oxlade-Chamberlain. He doesn't seem to suffer from the passivity that has stunted the career of Theo Walcott. Not only was his goal well-taken, but his pace and direct running gave the Olympiakos left-back, Jose Holebas numerous difficulties, which could have resulted in his dismissal after bringing the England U21 man down when on a yellow card. After impressive showings in his first two starts for Arsenal, Oxlade-Chamberlain may be well worth a place in the starting XI at White Hart Lane.
Special mention should also go to Chamakh. The Moroccan has come in for much justified criticism since the start of the calendar year. What has been so puzzling is not only his lack of goals, but his negligible contribution to the team. This was a much improved display, as he held the ball up well, gave Arteta a constant outlet, and did good unnoticed work that helped create both of Arsenal's goals.
However, the defence remains a problem. While they looked increasingly solid in the closing stages, better sides won't give them time to play their way into matches. Alex Song has all the tools to play as a centre-half, apart from the positional sense. The same can be said about Frimpong in the holding midfield position. In the same way that Arteta badly needs Wilshere to dovetail with, the need for Thomas Vermaelen to partner Per Mertesacker is equally as urgent. Song and Frimpong both improved as the game progressed, but we should remember that to call this Olympiakos side mediocre would be kind. They would probably be relegated if they played in the Premier League.
If Arsenal make an identical start to the game on Sunday that they made to last night's encounter, Spurs will be out of sight by half-time.
ARSENAL (4-3-3)
Szczesny - 7, Sagna - 5, Mertesacker - 6, Song - 6, A.Santos - 7, Frimpong - 5, Rosicky - 4, Arteta - 8, Oxlade-Chamberlain - 7 (Ramsey - 6), Chamakh - 7 (Van Persie - 6), Arshavin - 6 (Gibbs - 83rd min)
Latest:
