Once again, the talk is all about Arsenal's depth. Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard rescued the game off the bench in Bilbao to not only highlight how strong the Gunners are going forward, but also how far their squad has come from last season.
But a more pertinent question regarding the double super sub move from Mikel Arteta is: why were they needed in the first place?
Tuesday afternoon's win over Athletic was a game where Arsenal were not under any real pressure from their opponents. The Spanish side had 11 shots but only two were on target - and they were routine stops for David Raya.
That is once again due to Arsenal's strong defensive structure. And yet, the Gunners made hard work of their first Champions League fixture. For long periods, Arsenal lacked fluency going forward - and one obvious theme stood out once again.
Just like against Liverpool last month, Arsenal lined up with a midfield three of Mikel Merino and Declan Rice, ahead of the defensive pivot in Martin Zubimendi. And just like against Liverpool, Arsenal were limited going forward for most of the game.
Arsenal struggling with Merino and Rice as their two No 8s is a long-running theme.
In the Premier League, Merino and Rice have started together in midfield in nine games. Arsenal have only won one of those matches. That was a 4-0 win away at a poor Ipswich side, with the pressure on getting a result completely off given the focus at the time was on the Champions League.
In the other games, the pressure was on Arsenal to get a result but they lacked creativity. There was the 10-man defeat to Bournemouth - but the Gunners lacked fluency even before William Saliba's red card. They had one shot on target in the 1-0 defeat at Newcastle, while they only managed nine shots overall in the 1-1 draw at Brighton.
A lot of the games saw Rice play as the defensive midfielder, with Merino further forward. But it has come apparent over the last 12 months that both are very similar players - who want to make runs from deep to create space in the box and score. There are doubts as to whether both of them together in the same team works.
The reason why Arteta favours Merino and Rice in midfield is because of the duel-winning ability of both players. The Arsenal manager discussed the importance of that in Bilbao on Tuesday night.
"We knew that in the first 20 to 25 minutes it was going to be really tough, especially the way they played. It was so intense, a lot of direct players, a lot of duels," said Arteta in his press conference.
But it came at a cost, with the Gunners managing just one shot on target despite having over 65 per cent possession. That may have been part of Arteta's plan - to keep things tight in the first hour then use their bench to win the game - but that was the same ploy against Liverpool at Anfield.
And with Manchester City up next at the Emirates, live on Sky Sports this Sunday, the margins will be equally tight compared to Anfield. How Arteta deploys his midfield is a key talking point about not only Arsenal's chances of winning, but also their mindset going into it.
A lot will depend on the fitness of Martin Odegaard. But if his shoulder injury does not heal in time for the City game, as it did for the Liverpool game where he could only make the bench, Arteta has a decision to make.
Does he go with that same midfield against Athletic, which gained a lot of criticism when Arsenal used that same set-up against Liverpool and lost by not having enough attacking verve?
Or, with the Emirates set to be rocking amid the recent needle between the two sides, does he put a more attacking player in there?
It was a surprise to see Ethan Nwaneri not feature against Athletic, for example, especially after the 18-year-old filled Odegaard's shoes so well against Leeds and Nottingham Forest.
After the 3-0 win over Forest, Arteta hailed Nwaneri's display, but the fact the Arsenal manager did not give the teenager a start in the context of an intense Bilbao battle shows there is not a complete level of trust in the academy product for the biggest of responsibilities.
Another option for Arteta is to move Eberechi Eze into Odegaard's attacking midfield role. Eze has so far featured for Arsenal as a left winger, but his more natural role is that No 10 position.
That was evident in one moment in the first half against Athletic, where Eze drifted inside off the wing and received an earful from Arteta, who wanted him hugging the touchline.
But if Eze comes inside, then his left wing spot would need to be filled. Noni Madueke would be an option for that left wing spot if Bukayo Saka makes it back in time for that fixture. But like Odegaard, the latter's fitness battle is not guaranteed to fall in Arsenal's favour.
That would present Martinelli and Trossard the chance to start against City, but have they showed they are better as impact substitutes - or 'finishers', as Arteta describes them.
Martinelli took just 35 seconds to show how useful his pace could be off the bench - against a tired defence in a tight and stretched match - where the margins are minimal.
And there is also a feeling that Trossard is much better as an impact player for Arsenal. That has been noticed across the last 12 months, but also in the last few days - he has a goal and two assists in his last two substitute appearances.
"They are at least equally important, or more important," said Arteta about all of his substitutes after the win in Bilbao.
"We have discussed that the 'finishers' are going to be more important this season, sometimes more than the starters. We can change the game there."
These are not the the only selection dilemmas Arteta has. Does he go with the in-form Riccardo Calafiori or Myles Lewis-Skelly, who scored in the last meeting against City? What does he do with Cristhian Mosquera, who has not put a foot wrong since coming in for the injured Saliba, who is available again?
It adds to the feeling that Arsenal are stronger this season. But games like Man City at the Emirates on Sunday are where seasons could be decided. Arsenal cannot afford to drop points and allow Liverpool to create a lead at the top of the table - or they will be in the same catch-up position as last year.
Arteta describes these big occasions as an "opportunity" for his team - and it is for him as well regarding his team selection, plus how he uses his midfield and wide areas.
This is a chance to prove that Arsenal are not a defensive-minded, risk-averse team in these big games, like at Anfield, but they have enough offensive wizardry to make a big statement about their mindset this season.
Watch Arsenal vs Man City live on Sky Sports this Sunday, kick-off 4.30pm