Arsenal vs. Swansea City: 5 Things We Learned About the Gunners

Arsenal finally got its first Premiership win of the season Saturday with a nervy 1-0 decision over Swansea at the Emirates. But while the Gunners earned all three points, they turned in a performance that won't make their fans, their manager or even themselves confident about their long-term chances.

The defense kept a clean sheet, but Swansea hit the crossbar and had a few great chances, including an almost unmissable shot inside the 6-yard box in second-half stoppage time.

The attack created chances but only scored when Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm made a howling error.

Three of the team's new signings got their debuts and played well overall, but there were also bad moments.

Most importantly, Arsenal won and got three points—but the Gunners still have a mountain to climb if they want to get back into the Premier League race.

With those points in mind, here are five things we learned about the Gunners after Saturday's 1-0 victory.

The Road Back Will Be Long and Hard

It took nearly a month for Arsenal to earn its first Premier League victory. After finally getting that win, here is Arsenal's line through four matches.

Played: 4

Won: 1

Drawn: 1

Lost: 2

Goal differential: minus-7

Points: 4

Clearly that's not good enough for Arsenal. If Manchester United wins again this afternoon, Arsenal will still be eight points behind. And almost as importantly, Arsenal's goal differential rests at minus-7.

What does this mean? It means Arsenal's road back to respectability will be long and difficult.

First, Arsenal must keep winning. Second, they need to make up goal differential. Third, they have to hope a bunch of teams drop points.

Saturday served as a starting point, but the performance wasn't very good. Despite getting the full three points, Arsenal will have to play much better if it hopes to compete in the Premier League.

The Defense Still Needs Work

Arsenal kept a clean sheet Saturday, but Swansea had chances to score.

Scott Sinclair hit the crossbar with a shot in the second half (from a free kick in the same spot of Wayne Rooney's second goal two weeks ago), and Danny Graham somehow shot over the bar from inside the 6-yard box during stoppage time.

In other words, Swansea could—maybe should—have scored. And that means Arsenal could easily have drawn or lost.

Per Mertesacker played well and provided a solid, physical presence in the center of defense. But he allowed Graham to get a shot from a cross in the first half, and the Swansea man almost scored.

Birthday boy Laurent Koscielny, meanwhile, again looked a step behind. He'll have to be better if he wants to have a place in the defense.

A clean sheet is always good news, but for Arsenal on Saturday, it easily could have been different.

The return of center back Thomas Vermaelen from injury will help. He could form a nice partnership with Mertesacker given time.

The Offense Still Lacks the Spark

The spark is what separates good offensive teams from great ones. It's what makes Barcelona so great whenever it has the ball going forward. It renders a defense helpless in spite of its best efforts.

Right now, Arsenal doesn't have the spark.

Arsenal dominated possession throughout the match but only scored after Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm made an egregious error. Vorm saved a ball from going out for a goal kick and attempted to roll the ball to one of his players. But his attempted pass hit the heel of a defender and allowed Andrei Arshavin to score on an empty net.

That was all Arsenal got Saturday.

Robin van Persie hit the upright with a nice right-footed shot in the second half, and Theo Walcott created a few chances. But other than that, Arsenal lacked the creative spark necessary to unlock the Swansea defense.

Arshavin scored, but he didn't create much for Arsenal. His play has been below standard for some time now, and manager Arsene Wenger should consider benching him. The Gunners clearly need new ideas in the midfield and different tactics up front.

Speaking of new ideas, Mikel Arteta turned in a fine performance in his first Arsenal game. He ran the show from the midfield in the first half and was at the heart of every Arsenal attack before the break. He faded in the second half, but his performance Saturday must be regarded as a positive for Arsenal.

Now, Arsenal needs more of it, a few more good ideas and less Andrei Arshavin.

The returns of Gervinho (from suspension) and Jack Wilshere (from long-term injury) should help.

The Signings Will Need Time

Per Mertesacker and Mikel Arteta played well overall, though they both had bad moments.

Yossi Benayoun didn't contribute very much in a second-half cameo. Ju Young Park and Andre Santos didn't play.

That works out to a mixed bag for Arsenal's five transfer-deadline signings. Mertesacker and Arteta clearly stood out, but they'll need time to get fully settled. Arteta, since he was already in the Premiership with Everton, should be the first to settle.

Through one game, Mertesacker looks like a great signing and a potential defensive rock. But the verdict is still out on Benayoun, and we didn't get a look at either Park or Santos.

Only time will tell how they play. And the key word there is time.

A Better Team Would Have Punished Arsenal

Let's face it: Arsenal was fortunate to win.

It's not that the Gunners deserved to lose. It's more like Swansea didn't.

Swansea created enough chances to deserve at least a draw, and if Danny Graham hadn't missed a glorious chance inside the 6-yard box in stoppage time, we'd be dissecting yet another disappointing result for Arsenal.

There were positives. Arsenal kept a clean sheet. Two new signings played well. Three points are in the bag.

But it's no stretch to say that a better team would have punished Arsenal's shortcomings. Swansea hit the bar and created chances throughout the match. And this is a recently promoted side we're talking about.

Just imagine what a seasoned Premiership team could have done.

For now, a win and three points are the most important things. But soon, Arsenal will have to turn it around on the field—not just in the table.