Arsene Wenger knows he will have to find the right balance between attack and defence when Arsenal head to the San Siro for the first leg of their Champions League clash with AC Milan next week.
The Gunners will be eager to take a positive result back to London from Italy, just as they did in a 2-0 win in March 2008 with late goals from Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Adebayor.
Any away goal would be a major boost ahead of the return leg, which is in three weeks time, giving Wenger a delicate tactical conundrum.
"The European system is organised to reward audacious action away from home," he said.
"When you go away in the Champions League, you have to score.
"The best way to score is play in an offensive way and we will try to do that."
Arsenal have seen their defensive ranks bolstered in recent weeks with the return to match fitness of full-backs Bacary Sagna and Kieran Gibbs.
That means Wenger is likely to have plenty of choice as to who to pair in the middle, after a spell which saw all four centre-halves deployed across the Gunners rearguard.
"I have plenty of options and I am happy with the way the defence works," said Wenger.
"The [Barclays Premier League] game at Sunderland is another big test for us, so I will see how we pass that test then I will make a decision for the Milan game."
Much of Arsenal's transition game is likely to pass through midfielder Mikel Arteta.
The Spaniard, signed from Everton in August, is happy to let the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott do the running in support of frontman Robin van Persie.
He told Arsenal Player: "I watch the game from behind [the attackers] and I know that when we become too open we leave many spaces and concede goals.
"I just try to balance the team a little bit.
"Sometimes I would like to go forward more, but I've still had chances and the goal [against Blackburn] was my sixth this year, which isn't bad.
"I don't want to be the main man; we all know who the main man is and that's Robin. He is the leader, he is the one who makes a real difference."
Arteta added: "The most important thing is the team, and once the team is doing well the highlights will come for the rest [of the players] because we are playing well.
"Everyone is part of a machine and we are all just trying to make the machine work as well as we can."
Unlike Arsenal, Milan are still very much in their domestic title hunt, battling with leaders Juventus and ahead of Udinese, whom the Gunners beat in their Champions League play-off in August.
Brazil forward Pato scored twice in the group stages as the Italians qualified for the knockout stages behind Barcelona, but is struggling to overcome a thigh problem.
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