Great result yesterday in France. There is no other way to say it, Arsenal are climbing back into form and starting to reclaim some winning ways.

Yesterday’s improbably victory in Marseille means that the Gunners have taken 5 victories from their last six games, with only the let down at White Hart Lane keeping Arsenal from a perfect record in their last 6 matches. Not too bad.

Emirates is starting to look like a fortress again, Liverpool marks the only defeat we have suffered at home so far. And yesterday, Arsenal looked clearly like the better side against Marseille, who several pundits predicted (wished) would beat our squad easily.

Laurent Koscielny did wonderful in his club return to French soil, and I have to admit that Carl Jenkinson and Andre Santos were not half bad. I thought Jenkinson especially did well, Andre Ayew is one of the top wingers in the French league, but he certainly didn’t look the part yesterday.

The biggest concern I have is still the attack, where we struggle to do much of anything. We dominated OM in the midfield, but that really didn’t lead to meaningful attacks the way it should have, the way it used to. Small steps, to be sure, because defensively, and in the midfield, Arsenal look much improved.

As I said above, Arsenal were a class apart in midfield, and Marseille really struggled to impact the game. Unfortunately, Arsenal struggled to really challenge Steve Mandanda, who handled most of Arsenal’s attempts without much trouble.

Robin van Persie suffered from being left alone up front, and often times Arsenal’s moves forward were stopped when support was just too slow in arriving.

It’s frustrating to have to keep beating the same drum week after week, but I really think Arsene must consider putting a second forward up with Van Persie. Whether it’s Walcott, Gervinho, Chamakh, Park… someone who Robin can link up with, and who can make those penetrating runs that the Dutchman doesn’t have the legs for. Robin may be a magician, but he’s no sprinter, and Wenger should stop asking him to be one.

I found Song and Rosicky very capable in the midfield, but I’m afraid I just can’t be convinced by Mikel Arteta. He is struggling to make his mark on games, and his decision-making just isn’t quick enough to ask him to be the deep-lying playmaker we had in Cesc, and are hoping for in Wilshere and Ramsey.

I love the calming presence he seems to have, and he is a savvy Premier League veteran to be sure, but I am worried about his ability to flourish in this offensive system. Hopefully, it’s just growing pains, and once he adapts, he will be a force to be reckoned with.

Looking at the weekend, we have Stoke, always a tough match. They have their own European nights to enjoy now, and common sense suggests they are less equipped to deal with the added pressure and games than we are. Three points there, and I will finally start to believe all that “turning the corner” has begun!