Arsenal: Are the Gunners Still One of the English Premier League's Top 4?

After three consecutive English Premier League losses, there is growing concern among Arsenal supporters over the team's ability to crack into the top four.

Fans of the EPL have grown accustomed to seeing the same four teams at the top of the table every May. The only suspense came from the order in which Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool would finish.

In recent years, new owners with deep pockets have been able to bring other teams from the periphery into the championship race. Both Manchester City and Tottenham, along with United, look like safe bets to earn a Champions League berth based on their league finish, leaving only one spot in the top four open.

Chelsea currently occupies the fourth position, with Arsenal, Newcastle and Liverpool nipping at the Blues' heels.

In Arsene Wenger's reign as manager, the Gunners have never finished outside the top four spots. With a five-point gap separating the Frenchman's squad and fourth-place Chelsea, this streak is in jeopardy. With 16 league games to be played, does Arsenal have the necessary firepower to push its way back into a coveted top-four finish?

Wenger came under heavy criticism at the start of the year when he sold Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, arguably his two most effective players from the previous season.

The three-time Premier League Manager of the Season has always operated under the basic principle that every one of his players has a price at which they will be sold, and City and Barcelona made him offers he could not refuse.

However, Wenger has a bench full of young talent, and the two midfielders' departures opened up spots on the field for players like Theo Walcott, Gervinho and Aaron Ramsey.

The replacements for Fabregas and Nasri have received mixed reviews, as have the Gunners in the 2011/12 season.

The panic button was pressed early after a shocking 8-2 loss to Manchester United. The Arsenal back line was abused for the entire 90 minutes, and Wenger had to scramble to sign Per Mertersacker immediately after the game to stop the bleeding.

Many football fans counted the London club out after just the third league match, but Robin van Persie started to change minds one goal at a time.

The Dutchman's 19 Premier League goals have given him a comfortable lead in the race for the Golden Boot, and have kept his team from free-falling down the table.

Arsenal's defense has still been suspect, and the team has allowed seven goals in its last three games, in which the Gunners have earned no points.

However, Liverpool and Newcastle were both losers this past weekend as well, and Chelsea could only come away with one point.

Newcastle cannot field a team as talented as the other teams fighting for the fourth spot, and Liverpool has been wildly inconsistent due to many problems on the field and even more off the field.

The race for the final Champions League berth will be an all-London competition, with Chelsea and Arsenal fighting each other over the next four months. 

To the Gunners' advantage, Chelsea is the only team in the top seven spots that Arsenal has been able to beat.

Both teams suffered shocking losses to Blackburn earlier in the season, and Arsenal also had recent setbacks with losses to Fulham and Swansea.

Chelsea has had slightly more success against the top three teams as they beat City 2-1, but the Blues do not have any player who can impact a game the way van Persie can.

Arsenal supporters are right to believe in the mantra that has been featured on so many signs at Emirates Stadium: "In Arsene We Trust!"

The Gunners will ride their young talent, Robin van Persie's magic feet and Arsene Wenger's brilliant mind to another top-four finish, leaving the Blues out in the cold.