Arsenal vs. Olympique De Marseille: 5 Things We Learned About the Gunners

Tonight, Arsenal took home their second consecutive Champions League victory against Olympique de Marseille thanks to an 11th-hour goal from substitute Aaron Ramsey to make "One-Nil to the Arsenal" a reality once again. It was a tough matchup, filled with bright spots and stumbles, and it's safe to say we learned quite a bit about Arsene Wenger's side tonight.

Here are five things we learned from the Gunners' performance. If you have other lessons you'd like to share, please have at it in the comments. 

For All the Talk of Defensive Problems, Arsenal Has Two Great Centre-Backs

Arsenal's back four has been an issue all season, but tonight, the central defenders really stepped their game up. Per Mertesacker, whose lack of speed and some wobbling have led to criticism, although far from perfect, was generally on-form tonight and showed evidence that he is coming into his own as a Gunner. He made a couple of mistakes, particularly when trying to neutralize Loïc Remy, but his positioning was good and he was able to hold a pretty formidable attack.

And then there's Laurent Koscielny, who dominated the central defense tonight, got some key interceptions and gave a Man of the Match performance. If he and Mertesacker can continue to work well together, the Gunners' central defense will be rock solid. 

The Midfield Ain't Half Bad, Either

For the faltering in first-team attack and full-backs, the midfield performances tonight were strong on the whole. Alex Song did great work, and summer signing Mikel Arteta exercised skillful control and made great touches and precise passes. He also handled the many corners he took quite well, even if he couldn't seal a goal with them. Although some Gunner fans still might be pining for the days of Cesc, if Arteta continues to progress in this manner, he'll cement his place as a fantastic playmaker. 

Although he looked like he would be off to a quiet start tonight, Tomas Rosicky was also impressive compared to previous performances. Coming off of a strong weekend showing as a sub against Sunderland, he was efficient and a tireless, committed worker tonight. He put effort in performances on all areas of the pitch and created some good chances toward the end. Hopefully, he can keep it up. 

Andrei Arshavin's First-Team Career Is Pretty Much over

Arshavin was a surprise choice to start over Gervinho tonight, and after his performance, Wenger's choice to put Arshavin in the starting XI seems even more baffling. He was underwhelming, underperforming and failed to make an impact on the pitch. And of course, when he left, his replacement scored. The wingers that came on after his departure—Gervinho and Aaron Ramsey—were more energetic and effective than he was in his wide role. 

That doesn't mean his career is over, of course. Arshavin still has a role to play at Arsenal, just not one where he starts on the wing. If he were used as an impact sub and played more of a central attacking role, he still has plenty of opportunities to make things happen. 

Gervinho Is the Source of Arsenal's Wide-Game Mojo

When Gervinho came in for an underwhelming Theo Walcott, the pace of the match changed. He was energetic and involved from the get-go. He linked up well with his fellow subs, Johan Djourou and Aaron Ramsey, and created a chance for Robin van Persie. He made the defense work and wasn't afraid to confront them, and he turned out to be instrumental in establishing Aaron Ramsey's match-winning goal.

Perhaps he should start out wide with Walcott as a central attacker next time around. 

The Kids Need More of a Chance

If tonight's victory was a reminder of anything, it's that there is a lot of potential on this Arsenal squad and how vital it is to exercise that potential. Perhaps it's time, with certain Arsenal first-team regulars underperforming tonight, to give the young future prospects a chance to change things. 

With Theo Walcott looking rather underwhelming tonight and Andrei Arshavin being practically nonexistent on the wing, perhaps it would be best to move them both to more central attacking roles and give Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain a chance to hold up the wide attack. O-C has already shown prowess in this competition, and his absence on the squad—even as a substitute—tonight was rather surprising. 

Then there's the host of young defensive talent—Francis Coquelin and Emmanuel Frimpong both deserve more playing time, and either could form a strong holding midfield partnership alongside Alex Song. Carl Jenkinson, too (assuming this injury won't keep him out long), showed some signs of promise tonight and especially considering he's a) 19 years old and b) came directly from League One, he's come pretty far. 

And the Champions League would be a perfect place to continue to test them. With Borussia Dortmund faltering in competition and with the Gunners already having beaten Olympiacos once, there's certainly a challenge, but with certainly beatable opponents, the younglins could get some invaluable field experience.