THE week just gone has laid to rest a lot of what people might have thought about Arsenal's passage through the Champions League. After the brilliant performance against Juventus, the defeat of Real Madrid can be seen in another light than it was at the time. To my mind, there was a bit too much emphasis on the failings of the Spanish side after that tie and not enough due was paid to the way Arsenal played and won.

Of course it's only half-time and of course a club of the stature of Juventus must have it in them to come up with some sort of performance for the second leg.

Football's too unpredictable to have any confidence that this tie is in the bag for Arsenal. But Juventus won't have Patrick Vieira, Mauro Camoranesi or Jonathan Zebina in the second leg and if they turn up next week with the same attitude as they showed at Highbury, their campaign will be over.

As for Arsenal, they have to go to Turin with exactly the same attitude they had on Tuesday night. For the third Champions League game in a row, they showed no signs of being overawed by the occasion or the fact that they were up against players much more experienced than them.

Do the same again on Wednesday night and they have a real chance of making the semi-final for the first time in the club's history.

It's clear that the Champions League suits some of the younger players better than the Premiership where they can be targeted physically. In early parts of the season, particularly away from home, there were times when they were getting pushed around and some of the older players didn't relish the hustle and bustle. But European football isn't as demanding in that respect. And now that their European run has restored some of their old confidence, I expect them to build on it domestically next season.

But getting something from this season is vital.

Fourth place in the Premiership won't be easy considering Tottenham's lead and the congestion in the fixture list.

But with the way the draw is opening up in front of them, there's a great chance of a place in the Champions League final.

Like many others, I went into the Juventus game wondering just how Arsenal would cope against such an expert and experienced side.

And aside from the obvious quality of the play, what was noticeable was the vigour and energy and enthusiasm they showed . . . in complete contrast to their opponents.

I saw Juventus play Milan in Turin recently and I came away encouraged by the slowness of the football. I thought that if Arsenal could use their pace and go at it the right way, maybe Juventus would be vulnerable. They were undone in a similar manner against Liverpool last year and they seem to have learned nothing in the meantime.

Indeed, if you cast your mind back to last year, the extremely comfortable evening Liverpool had in Turin in the second leg bodes well for what Arsenal might come up against on Wednesday. Liverpool were never in serious danger after winning the first leg. I think maybe it's fair to say that Serie A is not all it's cracked up to be any more and that it was a better league in the past.

Further proof of that came on Wednesday night when Milan looked every bit as old and slow and ponderous against Lyon. They only had their defence to thank for getting away with a draw and even though I think they'll come through the tie, they were still disappointing. As with Juventus, they were overrun in midfield for an hour of the game and this was as a direct result of the energy the Lyon players put into making it uncomfortable for them.

But in true Italian style, they came away with a scoreless draw and will probably make it through the second leg. It's not all bad news for Juventus either, as the return of Pavel Nedved could make a major difference. With his pace and his invention, he's the big obstacle to Arsenal's progress to the semi-final.

But all their suspensions, their ageing legs and their indiscipline point to there being more wrong with Juventus than can be fixed by the return of one player. I looked on their bench the other night and I didn't see very much to frighten me.

Arsenal will play with five in midfield again but it won't be a matter of shutting up shop.

I expect them to put in much the same performance as they did in Madrid, keeping it tight and looking to release Thierry Henry on the break.

His pace has been so vital to Arsenal's campaign and I think it's good to see rewards coming for players with real pace. If there was one thing that struck me watching the two Italian teams during the week, it was that there was no real speed in either side. But if you look at Arsenal and Barcelona, if you look at Henry and Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi, the electric pace to get in behind people is what has been paying dividends in this season's Champions League.

Maybe it's to do with the fact that in general they play very deep in Italy. It's still the most defensive league in the world and the emphasis is first and foremost on stopping people getting in behind defences. As a result, pace is not something coaches tend to prioritise.

The case in point is Obafemi Martins, the Nigerian player who won the game for Inter on Wednesday. He's lightning fast and he didn't start against Villarreal because Roberto Mancini chose Alvaro Recoba ahead of him. He only got on because Recoba got injured but when he arrived, he destroyed Villarreal with his pace.

Will Inter learn from that?

I'm not so sure. They're a club that spends millions after millions year after year and never wins anything and I don't know if that team and that coach have the strength to handle the pressure of the return leg.

I can see Arsenal, Milan and Barcelona going through but if there's going to be a surprise, I think this game might be where it's found.