There was always a risk of a hangover from the Chelsea defeat for Arsenal against Olympiakos, and with Per Mertesacker out with a virus, there could also have been some real churning stomachs amongst the players. However that was eventually overcome with three good goals to turn a patchy performance into three points.

Arsenal haven't been anywhere near their best in the Champions League this season, however six points from six is the perfect start. Even though the Gunners have faced Olympiakos regularly in recent seasons, there's always a slight unknown quantity from teams at the group stage of the competition, so having two victories on the board at this stage bodes well for the rest of the competition.

With Olivier Giroud making an impact from the bench, it was Gervinho who was given the chance to lead the line again from the start. Being honest, there is part of me that is just waiting for Gervinho to fail in the main striking role as he sometimes looks lightweight when trying to hold the ball and compete for it with centre-backs. However Arsene Wenger's far superior footballing knowledge means that if he thinks Gervinho can play up front, then Gervinho can play up front.

It was particularly noticeable in the Olympiakos game that Gervinho can go through periods of a match and seem on the periphery of it. It can be frustrating to have a game where Arsenal have a lot of possession, but can't seem to get the main striker involved. However on current form, when Gervinho does get himself involved, he makes a big difference.

The Ivorian now has five goals this season, already more than he managed last season, and those have come from just five shots on target this season, showing that Gervinho has become more clinical (stat via @OptaJoe on twitter). We've seen foreign imports, such as Robert Pires, come into the team and have an average first season, but then have an excellent second season. That could be happening with Gervinho.

The signs were there in pre-season as he scored a few excellent goals from wide positions. After Olivier Giroud's lively substitute performance, I'd like to see Gervinho play in a wide position alongside the bigger front man. Although the game was stretched and there was extra space, Giroud's knockdown for Aaron Ramsey's goal was excellent, and the Frenchman is also good at bringing players into the game with the ball on the floor. With the form Gervinho is in, more situations like that should create more chances for the Ivorian.

The whole team were a bit like Gervinho on Wednesday. There were moments where they didn't look in the game and there were some stray touches, however when things clicked going forward, Arsenal looked very good. Lukas Podolski was starved of action for most of the match, but when given the chance, he rammed the ball into the net. Aaron Ramsey's finish was also well taken, giving us a reminder that he can still be a great player for Arsenal.

The defence was also Gervinho-esque. There were things that were great, with the full-backs impressing again, and things that weren't. Thomas Vermaelen in particular had an uncharacteristically sloppy evening.

However, Gervinho and the team eventually prevailed. In a game of few chances, we still managed to score three goals and, despite some of the defence's slack passing, limited Olympiakos to only a few clear-cut chances. The fluency will return, but after the Chelsea defeat and with Champions League points available, Arsenal just needed to get the victory, take the positives and move on.

As for Gervinho, he's started the season exceptionally well, considering how he drifts in and out of matches. If the team raise their patchy performance and get the Ivorian more involved, we could see more goals and assists from him.

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