Here's the latest must-read Three Things We Learned column from Alan Alger

Interchangeable defence provides a solid base…

After a game that we have won 6-0 with entirely different scorers for each goal, it may seem strange to praise the defence. Although I feel that Wednesday night told us much more about the base of the team.

From the six main performers across those position, and indeed the six we saw last night, everyone knows their job to a degree where changes look seamless.

Mikel Arteta shuffled his right and left backs at half-time and it didn’t create any imbalance. Oleksandr Zinchenko has been great since I gave him a rollicking in this column a few weeks ago, so I’ll hold my hands up there.

Takheiro Tomiyasu has been a revelation too. Jakob Kiwior steps in with no nonsense and even Gabriel could have been seen to have been under the radar with so much praise, rightfully, going the way of William Saliba. This rotation, on top of Jurien Timber’s return, could play the biggest part of all in any end of season rewards.

PSV dead-rubber comes at exactly the right time…

Earning the right to send a second or even third string squad to PSV in our final group game is justified reward for such a dominant display in the group stages.

The trip to the Netherlands comes at a crucial time with sharpness about to be put to the test across the usual brutal Christmas and New Year period. December includes trips to Aston Villa and Liverpool, various pundits citing that *this* is when we really find out about Arsenal’s title charge, without remembering that we’ve answered those claims a few times already this season.

It is fair to say that by the time we are ringing in 2024, we could have a better idea of our chances, but you can’t ignore how we’ve already claimed the scalp of Manchester City and sit on top of the league without even finding top gear. The naysayers can’t have it both ways, but they’ll often try.

I really hope Mikel tells the first choice personnel to put their feet up that week and get some much needed rest.

Talking of the PSV game, I was slightly disappointed we didn’t play the yellow card rules last night and secure bookings for Declan Rice, Gabriel Jesus and Ben White.

All would have missed the meaningless sixth group game and been clean for the important business of the knock outs.

Small margins like that count and I’d have been telling them to pick up a yellow for the cause.

Wounded Wolves provide a different test…

Without taking anything away from our magnificent form in Europe, it is amazing to see how much freedom we have when the opposition scouting doesn’t do its homework.

Bukayo Saka even went as far as helping the Lens scouts out by talking about the impact that defenders ‘doubling-up’ on him has in regular league games, in his post-Brentford interviews.

On Wednesday night we saw what happens when our wingers are left with a bit of space. It’s also no surprise that a relatively weak group saw us keep three home clean sheets in three games, with our league record behind that figure at two in seven.

A lot of us said when the draw was made that it was a Europa League group in all but name, a lovely way to ease ourselves back in.

If this lack of attention to detail from continental opponents continues then who is to say we won’t be starring in an all-English final at Wembley in June.

League action sees Wolves visit us with their VAR grievances (a list even longer than ours) stoking their fires. I

t’s going to be a really tough test and we might not get as much space as our French foes gave us last night.