Sparta Prague		0
Arsenal		2		Fabregas 72, Hleb 90

Something that was missing might be making a return to Arsenal. The inability to win ‘ugly’ has been long held as a criticism of this Third Generation. A general consensus is that last night was one of those occasions. A performance that will have driven Arsene insane on one level, the passing game did not get going (or would it be better to say, not allowed_ but pleased him immensely on another. As he noted afterwards, ‘the whole team has a resilience and fight to the last second‘, showing patience in the face of opponents who it seems did not watch the Ajax game; if they had, they would have known that this group of players is not so easy to physically intimidate and is capable of giving as good as they get in that respect.

The positives from last night will only be so if progress is made to the Group stage and as importantly, they are transferred to the Premiership, starting on Sunday at Blackburn. Repka was the chief hatchetman, apparently promising to outmuscle the Arsenal midfield. As when he was in the Premiership, he was found wanting, unable to last the pace, succumbing to injury following a strong challenge from Fabregas. Looking physically stronger than before, the young Spaniard has never been shy of putting a foot in when required. He had to do so more often last night as for the first half an hour, the Czech’s were the better side.

Defensive concentration lapsed on a couple of occasions but not from the usual culprits; Gael Clichy was outwitted at the far post and Lehmann did well to divert the ball onto the post. How quickly the brickbats have to turned to plaudits for Jens; his general display last night was what is seen from him quite regularly but goes unremarked. He was solid with generally good distribution, especially for the crucial second goal. Toure and Gallas looked solid last night, dealing reasonably comfortably with possibly the tallest striker this side of Peter Crouch that they will have to deal with all season.

The pairing of Flamini with Fabregas in the centre last night would not be everyone’s cup of tea. However, despite the former’s lack of presence in terms of reputation, he works as hard as anyone for the team cause and should not be castigated or dismissed lightly. Given he supposed desire to leave in the Summer, his change of heart has reflected well, taking advantage of the absence of Gilberto to press his claim for being second choice in the centre of midfield.

The biggest problem last night though came as a result of the Sparta game plan. Too often Hleb and van Persie were left isolated, the gap between the forwards and midfield being too great, too often. It is a sign of the latter’s maturity in playing the lone striker that he is able to do so to good effect on nights such as this. Whilst he may not have scored, he continued to offer an outlet for the rest of the team when needed, his movement being continuous for most of the game. Indeed for the opener, he dragged his marker away from the centre of the area to create the space for Cesc to bury his shot following another good forward run by Clichy.

n the right, Eboue is being questioned as a wide midfielder. However, it is in game’s such as this that the benefit is probably more noticeable. He could not offer the attacking outlet that most want yet adds more bite to that side of the pitch in midfield than say, Walcott or Hleb, would be able to. Sagna behind him offered another solid performance, confirming that he is by far and away the best right back at the Club, defensively speaking. He may also provide the solution for left winger. The counter-attack that led to the crucial second goal was one of the best of that ilk, good distribution from the ‘keeper, a solid run from defence and a simple finish. Whilst his shooting is still not the finished article, the Belorussian aims for the corners more often than not, making even a scuffed shot difficult to stop. He is on a roll, long may it continue. I suspect at the moment that if the ball hit him on the backside in the centre circle, it would probably rebound into the opponents net.

The second goal though opens up more options for Arsene. UEFA Regulations stipulate that ‘single cautions from the Qualifying Phase that have not resulted in a suspension, expire on completion of the Qualifying Phase in question‘. It seems logical to me therefore that injuries permitting, the most participation that van Persie and Fabregas, possibly Flamini, should have in the Return is the Bench, only called upon if absolutely necessary. Assuming everyone is fit, Eduardo, Adebayor and Bendtner give enough options for the starting line-up whilst Fabregas could be replaced in the centre by Rosicky, Hleb or Diaby with Denilson or Walcott slotting into the left hand side of midfield. It is of course, a risky strategy, but a two-goal lead ought to be comfortable enough to do so, especially as the Czech’s have to attack more than they would like to and we ought to be able to pick them off on the counter in such moments.

Not the fantastic flowing footballing performance that everyone wants but another step in the right direction, showing that some of the painful football lessons at places such as The Hawthorns and Bramall Lane have been learnt.