While Wednesday’s effort was an improvement on Saturday (that’s not difficult) unfortunately there were more comparisons than Mikel Arteta wanted to admit.

At Saint James’s Park we could still be playing now and not look like scoring. As I have stressed before, that has happened too often under the current regime. Arsenal used to be a side who used to guarantee we would make chances, even at our worst. Go look how many games per season we would fail to score under Arsene Wenger.

For all our possession at St James Park, Nick Pope had to deal with one shot on target.

That made the San Siro one of the most awkward places to go, the Serie A Champions yet to concede in this year’s Champions League. One of the faces of a country brought up in the art of defending. Make zero mistake, it’s an art form what Inter Milan did to us. While we had most of the ball, after their penalty this was by our opponent’s design.

Protecting a lead is in the Nerazzurri’s DNA. The second half is a scenario they relish, like it was a training session.

That’s not a flattering reflection on the questions we asked. We played in front of Inter, never got on the overlap, crossed the ball countless times onto an Inter head. Aspects of the game Inzaghi’s team love. He will feel that was a comfortable 90 minutes where his keeper didn’t have much to do.

Like on Tyneside the lack of leadership was evident. Everyone played the safe pass, scared to take a risk, zero imagination, a lack of movement off the ball.

Football goes in cycles, eventually a goal will go in which will improve confidence. The likes of Martinelli and Trossard needed a goal.

Yet as we keep being told, the line between success and failure is small.

In the short term we will be okay, in the long term we have too many days like this.

Not like so many Gooners didn’t point this out.