The Emirates Cup may only be a pre-season tournament, but it still shed light on some of the mystery surrounding the Gunners' quest for major honours।
It won't have been top of any Arsenal fan's priority's this summer, but some heart can be taken from them having recaptured the Emirates Cup.
Having raced to an inaugural win in the competition in 2007, it proved to set something of a precedent for the manner in which the Gunners would then approach the beginning to that season - their first without Thierry Henry - as they raced to the top of the Premier League in sensational style.
The second time around - this time last year - they finished third, losing to Juventus and an Adebayor penalty seeing them past Real Madrid. At the time, there wasn't a lot to take from it, but it proved that things wouldn't get a lot better for the Wenger boys for the remainder of the season, as even their journey to the Champions League semi-finals was hardly littered with major challenges that yielded any kind of great performances.
It is now that Arsene Wenger and his side are under criticism of a level previously reserved for George Graham, Francis Jeffers and Ashley Cole - only on a really good day.
The man that made Arsenal great is, for whatever reasons, slowly seeing the quality of his side regress to the point that, in relative terms to the competition, he's coming somewhere close to leaving them as he found them.
Selling star players to their most direct league rivals, Manchester City, has unearthed unease in even some of the most usually reassured followers of all things Arsene. They, like the rest of us, are waiting for a sign from somewhere that the Frenchman has method to his madness beyond trying to put the club's bank balance back in black, method that may actually deliver major success on the pitch, as is the bottom line for any fan of any club.
Enter Jack Wilshere. The media love a good youngster - a great one is just mind-blowing. We're not just looking at a player with an outstanding talent like Leo Messi, nor one of outstanding achievements like Raul, nor incredible confidence like Wayne Rooney.
He has immense talent, clearly isn't short on confidence and at 17, is a better playmaker than even Cesc Fabregas was at that age. Switch the names and numbers on their shirts and you would be forgiven for thinking the little man from Stevenage came straight out of the world's finest youth academy in Catalunya.
And that's what makes Wilshere so special: this is a player that Gooners really can call their own, with no partial credit going to Barcelona or French Africa - he is, as they say, Arsenal through and through.
It is the game awareness and intelligence that separates him from the vast majority of every other type of wonderkid on the block. Overindulgent self-promotion has often led to the English media shooting themselves in the foot - but sometimes, a sure thing is just a sure thing.
One sign wasn't enough. The Emirates Cup also delivered a ringing endorsement that Eduardo da Silva is still one of the best finishers in the business. It was just one goal, but what a goal it was. After a lay-off like his, even a pre-season friendly can feel like your own personal Champions League final.
The problems Arsenal still face are the same as ever. Cesc looked free-reigning and relentless, despite not having his Flamini, his Lass Diarra, his Gilberto Silva - but this was against an Atletico Madrid side who are famed for playing almost entirely without a midfield, and Rangers, who had no intention of ever trying to keep the ball for any kind of extended period.
Cesc will face restriction in stiff competition within this current setup, and Wenger cannot afford to marginalise his captain this campaign if he wants to keep him from wearing the Blaugrana by this time next year.
Andrei Arshavin, named player of the two-day tournament and perhaps recognized as Arsenal's only other consistently and proven world class player, has already voiced his feeling of inadequacy when shoe-horned into the side as a winger. He and Robin van Persie perform best in the same position, and it is the Dutchman, as Wenger's creation, and one of the few who doesn't look like abandoning the Gunners for a bigger club, that gets precedence.
At the back, it was all Rangers couldn't do to fall into the net with the ball - it was as damning an indictment of their abilities in attack as Arsenal's in defense. This is still a team not geared to defend as a team with the same verve and calculation with which they attack.
Pure and simply, Arsenal's most outstanding talents, while captivating testament to what could be at the Emirates this season, aren't quite cornerstones around which Wenger can necessarily build his team.
Eduardo is unlikely to be able to play twice a week for an extended period without suffering an injury - certainly not in the near future. Jack Wilshere must at least wait for his body to catch up with his mind before he too can play regularly without suffering long-term damage as a result.
Cesc, while making a great central figure of the team, cannot reach anything resembling his full potential without the right partner in midfield, and then there's Arshavin and Van Persie getting in each other's way.
No matter what Wenger says, Arsenal need more, and he knows it.
Resurrecting Patrick Vieira's career may give the Gunners more leadership, but more significantly, would impinge upon the responsibilities and status of their recently appointed captain. Beyond that, Vieira's greatness is behind him and the chances of him offering an ever-presence in Arsenal's midfield is minimal.
Experience could prove far more useful in front of goal. If Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is too big a name and price-tag, then what's to stop the Gunners bidding for an old head to relieve the pressure on Eduardo to deliver all the goals? Neither Walcott nor Vela - nor Van Persie, for that matter - are strikers in the most literal sense, and Nicklas Bendtner doesn't seem to have convinced anyone of his abilities, though he has a prolific track record as a substitute.
Add to that the centre midfielder and defender that every fan has been craving for the past year and you have a team worthy of any piece of silverware on offer.
Go without, continue as also-rans, year after year disillusioning the star talents who then depart for a bigger club. The fact so many have failed in their attempt to go on to better things should be no source of comfort to any Gunner, for the fact is, neither do Arsenal - it is the no-win situation that has plagued the club since the days they were known as ‘Invincible’.
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