It is equally obvious that, should Arsenal harbour serious ambitions of challenging to win this competition, they must succeed over the next five days in recruiting the "world-class" additions that have been the target all summer.
This Arsenal squad has a sound enough base – and the potential is best exemplified by the wonderful early season form of Aaron Ramsey – but they still lack a sprinkling of proven winners.
Ramsey scored both goals last night but his emergence alongside Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott should not disguise the wider parallels with recent Arsenal teams.
Just as Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie once craved the addition of established leaders to aid their development, it can be safely assumed that Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Walcott will be hoping for the arrival of more help in the coming days.
Ramsey admitted himself last night that the squad was "maybe a bit short" and it would be sad if Wenger repeated the mistake he arguably made previously with Fabregas and Van Persie by not recognising that the best young talents tend to flourish alongside rather than be inhibited by major signings.
Wenger said later that Ramsey was now playing the best football of his career, attributing the re-emergence since his double leg fracture in 2010 to his returning confidence. There was also tacit acknowledgement of the supporters' desire for more than simply joining Real Madrid and Manchester United as the only three clubs to qualify for the Champions League in every season since 1997.
"We have been remarkably consistent but our ambition is much higher than that," Wenger said. How seriously the competition is taken at Arsenal was certainly evident in Wenger's team selection and, even after accruing a 3-0 first-leg advantage in Istanbul last week, no chances were taken. Wilshere returned after being rested from the 3-1 win at Fulham on Saturday, while Laurent Koscielny was named among the substitutes even after the horrific head injury he suffered during the first leg last week.
With the comfort of three away goals, it was perhaps predictable that Arsenal should make a laboured start and they did almost suffer an early scare when Caner Erkin exploited a mistake by Carl Jenkinson.
With Bacary Sagna scrambling to clear, the ball rebounded off Raul Meireles and forced Wojciech Szczesny to make an impressive reaction save. It took Arsenal fully 10 minutes to find their rhythm but they then created two chances in quick succession.
Walcott, whose direct running had been so devastating in Istanbul, cut inside and tested Volkan Demirel with a powerful left-footed shot. Some quick footwork from Santi Cazorla then created further space behind Fenerbahce, with Wilshere breaking forward to feed Olivier Giroud who shot wastefully wide.
Buoyed by his two goals against Fulham on Saturday, Lukas Podolski was also a persistent threat whenever he cut inside and he was the architect of Arsenal's first by forcing Erkin into a rash clearance across his six-yard box. Ramsey had sensed the danger and his gamble was rewarded with a simple finish.
Podolski's contribution was curtailed, however, in the 49th minute when he pulled up clutching his hamstring and was taken off on a stretcher. With Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Mikel Arteta also out of action at present, Wenger's midfield options are already severely limited and he opted to push Kieran Gibbs into a more advanced position down the left.
Gibbs had scored in the first leg and he further underlined his attacking potential last night. First he teed up a chance for Cazorla, with the Spain midfielder forcing an excellent finger-tipped save from Demirel, and then crossed precisely for Ramsey.
There was still plenty for Ramsey to do but he simply adjusted his feet and directed an exquisite side-footed volley past Demirel.
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