Arsenal FC: February Will Decide If Gunners Are in Crisis

So far, the 2011-12 season has been the toughest season for Arsenal fans in a long time.

Back in August, when the Premier League was just kicking off, Arsene Wenger's side was going absolutely nowhere. After a devastating 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at the Emirates followed by a heart-breaking 8-2 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford, the Arsenal boss quickly opened his checkbook and made some panic buys on deadline day.

Honestly, these signings haven't actually been so bad.

Mikel Arteta has proved to be a stable presence in midfield—someone who can score goals, while at the same time hold up an opposition attack.

Sure, he's no Cesc Fabregas. As a matter of fact, he is an entirely different player than his compatriot, but Arteta has been tremendous for Arsenal this season and well worth the £10 million spent on him.

Another one of these "panic buys" was Per Mertesacker, the 6-foot-6 German centre back who seemed to be exactly what Arsenal needed.

He hasn't been great, but he hasn't been horrible either.

Mertesacker's experience has been an invaluable asset to the Arsenal first team, and the fact that he's often the tallest player on the pitch doesn't hurt the Gunners defending of set-pieces. On the other hand, it's no secret that he's slow, and his lack of pace has cost Arsenal a goal here and there.

Next up is Andre Santos, who, in my opinion, seems to be a good buy.

He's clearly not a defensive mastermind. But, if you're going for a player who can replace an attacking fullback like Gael Clichy, it's tough to find someone better than Santos for the price he was bought at.

The Brazilian international just has the edge over Clichy in attacking, as his crosses are much more accurate—anyone's are better than Clichy's—and Santos can beat a defender just as easily as a left winger can.

He's got work to do on his defensive positioning and marking, but, for now, a positive to take is that Santos is a tremendous attacking force.

To add depth in midfield, Wenger brought Yossi Benayoun on a season long loan from Chelsea, and with him came loads of experience.

Benayoun has played for Premier League sides West Ham, Liverpool, and Chelsea, making him a midfielder with plenty of experience in the English game. Although he hasn't made the most appearances for Arsenal so far, he seems to make a reasonable impact when he does play.

He's made a difference with his 88th minute winner against Aston Villa and scoring in his stints against Olympiakos and Shrewsbury.

In general, Benayoun seems to be a useful player whose experience could come in handy in the latter part of the season as Arsenal push for a Champions League spot.

For Park Chu-Young, I almost want to write "N/A."

The South Korean captain has made just a handful of appearances for Arsenal this season, scoring once against Bolton in a League Cup fourth-round tie. But besides that, he's made little impact.

This has led to many fans question why exactly Wenger bought him in the first place.

So with these last minute signings and the wake up call at Old Trafford, Arsenal slowly gained some momentum and picked up their form.

Sure, there was the disappointing 4-3 loss to Blackburn at Ewood Park and the narrow 2-1 defeat to Spurs in a North London derby at White Hart Lane, but Arsenal were starting to get some points on the board and climbed the table faster than you could say "crisis."

The Gunners soon embarked on a 10-match undefeated run, including a five-match winning streak, with Robin Van Persie finding the form of his career and seemingly hitting two goals every match.

You can call it the efforts of a one-man team, but it was Wenger who signed the Flying Dutchman from Feyenoord in 2004 for just £2.75 million. Not Sir Alex Ferguson, not whoever was Ambramovich's slave at Chelsea at the time. Arsene Wenger.

This brilliant run of form saw Arsenal put five goals past Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in an inspiring 5-3 win. The Gunners also finished first in their tough Champions League group, which consisted of Borussia Dortmund, Marseille, and Olympiakos.

But then something went wrong.

I'm not really sure where, but since Arsenal's 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Carling Cup quarterfinal, Wenger's side haven't been able to string two wins together in all competitions.

Nonetheless, I don't think that's where the poor form that saw them slip five points from the top four began.

It's most likely the typical Arsenal injury crisis that saw them have to play with a makeshift back line consisting of no fullbacks and all centre backs, but that's certainly not the only problem with the North London outfit.

Robin Van Persie is the only forward Arsenal have that can score goals on a regular basis, with Park Chu-Young completely unproven and unknown and Marouane Chamakh failing to find form in an Arsenal shirt so far this season.

The pressure is too much for the Gunners skipper to handle, and Arsene Wenger's main priority in the remainder of the January transfer window should be to bring in a forward who can either be a reliable back-up for Van Persie or who can even partner the Dutchman.

Since Arsenal's good run of form came to an abrupt end and the December fixture congestion saw the squad become ridden with fatigue, Wenger's men have begun to drop points left and right. They are currently riding on the back of a three-game losing streak in the league.

Arsenal play their last match in the month of January this Sunday, a crucial FA Cup fourth-round tie at home to Aston Villa. Assuming they win that match and go on to the fifth round, February will see Arsenal tested in every competition they're currently competing in.

It starts off with three Premier League fixtures that Arsenal should see as an opportunity to grab nine out of nine points.

They begin with a trip up North to Bolton, followed by a home match against Blackburn at the Emirates and another trip up North to in-form Sunderland.

While these matches are must-wins to ensure Arsenal keep the pressure on Chelsea for their pursuit of a top four spot, it'll also be crucial for the Gunners to gain some momentum before playing what's arguably their most important match of the season so far—the Champions League Round of 16 tie with AC Milan.

Although Arsenal supporters like myself should be worrying more about the more urgent need for improvement of form in the league, the AC Milan match is looming in just a few weeks and constantly in the back of our minds.

Like I said, it'll be vital for Arsenal to attain some sort of winning mentality and form before heading into a gritty tie with the Milan outfit at the San Siro.

The result of that match will be incredibly important for the remainder of Arsenal's season.

If Arsenal grab a score draw or even a 2-1 or 3-2 loss, they'll head into the second leg at the Emirates knowing that a clean sheet—still not easy by any means—will seal their spot in the Champions League quarterfinal.

The remaining two matches of February are the FA Cup fifth round tie and a Premier League North London derby at the Emirates.

I can't comment much on the FA Cup fifth round tie as we don't yet know who Arsenal will play—or if they'll even advance to the next round. But, it's clear that this will be a must-win, regardless of the opponent.

With Arsenal knocked out of the Carling Cup, major underdogs in the Champions League and, as it stands now, out of the Premier League title race, the FA Cup is looking like the Gunners' best shot at ending their six-year trophy drought.

A win here will take them into the quarterfinal and two wins away from Wembley. Enough said.

And then there's the North London derby.

It's certainly a match Arsenal can win, especially considering the fact that it's at the Emirates, the place where Arsenal have lost just twice this season.

It was a tight match back in October with Spurs just edging out a 2-1 victory at White Hart Lane. But, depending on each North London side's form heading into this clash, it really could go either way.

This will be vital in not only Arsenal's chase for a top-four spot, but also in their aim to avoid the embarrassment of finishing behind their bitter rivals.

So, the conclusion that we've come to is that February will be absolutely huge for Arsenal. The outcome of their season rests in the results that they produce in this month.

If they drop points in the league, lose their grasp on the top four and crash out of both the Champions League and FA Cup, Arsenal's season will fizzle out, as always, and end in disaster.

On the other hand, if they win their league matches, keep the pressure on the top four—and maybe even break into it—and progress in both the Champions League and FA Cup, Arsenal will rejuvenate their season and silence their critics.

February will decide whether or not Arsenal really are in a crisis.

Come on you Gunners...