The fallout following a big European defeat is always fascinating, isn't it?

In the past 24 hours I've seen and heard a lot of comments.

Some were dismayed by our second half performance, others were frustrated by our lack of cutting edge.

Many raised the argument about our lack of a centre forward, while some simply accepted that this was a step too far.

Alarmingly though, I have seen some suggest that Mikel Arteta is not the man for the job, a criticism that I simply cannot fathom.

Is he infallible? Of course not. He is a young coach that has certainly and will continue to make mistakes in his learning curve.

The truth of the matter though is that he has improved Arsenal season upon season. 

We are a remarkably well coached side, an organised, structured team that is difficult to break down.

In the elite games though, and invariably away from home, we sometimes lack that spark that can turn a game in our favour.

If we are not playing well, then those moments simply do not present themselves. 

Manchester City are a side that share the workload, but are the type of team that are inundated with those able to step up. Liverpool meanwhile have Mo Salah.

Arsenal have to find a way of producing their own. That could be following the City model of pure control, or perhaps even making their own superstar. 

Bukayo Saka, the poster boy for this Arsenal project, is as close as we have.

He is a remarkably talented footballer but struggled to make an impact in the game against Bayern.

He is though, just 22 years old and it is rare that any player of that age has the in-game understanding to decide games as regularly and emphatically as Arsenal probably need. 

When thinking about players in the past that have had that habit of arriving for the big moment, we are of course inundated with examples.

However, the most recent one that comes to mind is Alexis Sanchez.

Arsenal could be struggling in a game, and Sanchez had the ability to change things almost instantaneously. We are arguably a better team than the one that Sanchez inhabited, but we are missing that superstar to take this side to the next level.

Saka could become this. He shows glimpses of magnificence, but is yet to truly cement himself as a world-class level wide player.

There is no doubt he has the potential, but he now needs to find a way of taking his form that he shows at The Emirates to the away grounds of the elite.

This could be the next evolution of this side.

We are a better side than the one that came close to winning the league last season and may yet have the league title to show for our efforts at the end of this campaign.

If we don't, then the next step has to be about getting over the line for the big prizes. 

Until Arteta can demonstrate that, question marks will always remain over his time in charge of the club.

It is worth remembering though that this is Arsenal's first return to the top tier of European competition in seven years.

It is a young side that has not had to manage high profile games every three days before.

This is a work in progress and a team that will almost certainly get better once again. 

The squad will get stronger. The likes of Eddie Nketiah, brought on with five minutes to spare in a desperate hope of stealing a last minute equaliser, will likely be upgraded in the summer.

Arsenal are on an upward trajectory. There may be blips along the way, but we are certainly on a journey that makes me excited to be an Arsenal fan.

The chances of success this season may be dimming, but our time is surely just around the corner. 

The next evolution of Arteta's Arsenal could be coming, and arguably, it will be the most significant and exciting of them all.