Arsenal - showing progress...or empty promises?

"There's something wrong with the world today,
I don't know what it is,
Something's wrong with our eyes"

The opening lyrics to Aerosmith's "Livin on the Edge" could have applied to Arsenal going into their Champions League qualifier second leg in Udine. They were, in theory, living on the edge - elimination from Europe's elite competition so early would have not only resulted in a loss of revenue, but may also have been the start of a vicious downward spiral for the Gunners.

But was there "something wrong with our eyes"? Given the lack of recognised first-teamers in the lineup, and the relative youth of the team, Arsenal ended up producing a very mature display to come away 2-1 winners on the night (3-1 on aggregate). And this after Antonio Di Natale, Italy's most prolific striker for 2 consecutive seasons, had put the hosts ahead in the first half. Had Arsenal been underestimated, not just by their opposition but by the press and football fans in their own country?

Of course it could have been so different. Gunners 'keeper Wojciech Szczesny made a brilliant save to deny Di Natale from the penalty spot, which would have put the Italians 2-1 up on the night, and needing just the one goal to go through. However, imperious performances from Szczesny, Walcott and Gervinho helped Arsenal secure the vital win.

But what does this mean for Arsene Wenger and his club? For a start, now that they are guaranteed Champions League football at least until Christmas (and probably beyond given how much of a farce the group stages are these days) they can start attracting players who may have been delaying a decision until this tie had been settled.

The big question of course is will Wenger spend, and bring in players to replace the departed Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri? He loves to promote from within of course, and even hinted that this might continue - although that was before the Udinese game and may have been a face-saving comment should the worst have happened. Really Arsenal should be using this victory to propel themselves forward and not let themselves slip back into their routine of the last few years - i.e. not being quite good enough.

They've been here before, actually. They've had some magnificent and inspirational results in Europe over the last few years - for example their 2-0 victory in the San Siro against AC Milan in 2008. Many claimed Arsenal had "come of age" that night. Yet of the starting XI then, only one player (Sagna) started the game against Udinese. Incredibly, eight of the eleven players have left the club. In the wake of this Udinese victory, I have heard several comments from Arsenal supporters that ring eerily familiar to those we heard three years ago.

This result in Udine was a very good and important one for Arsenal; but there is a huge element of caution that I would offer to Gunners fans. If Wenger continues with his policy of the last few years as regards player transfers, then this result will just rank alongside the victory over Milan as yet another false dawn.