Arsenal FC: Is the Chase for the English Premier League Title Already Over?

Of course I'm aware that it's only October 6. Yes, you're precisely correct, there are 31 matches left to be played on Arsenal's fixture list, nearly 82 percent of the 2010/11 season remaining. Clearly, there is no reason to panic or to raise the white flag in surrender.

However, with the Gunners currently occupying fourth place in the Premiership table, owners of a 3-2-2 record, and already seven points adrift of league leaders Chelsea, one might ask; is Arsenal's dream of Prem glory in 2010-11 already crushed?

It may seem premature to draw such conclusions at such an early juncture, yet it is not entirely without merit.

During the 2009-10 Premiership season, on this same date, Arsenal possessed a 5-2 record, with 15 points and sat six points behind league leaders Chelsea. At that point though, Arsenal had a game in hand, so their deficit was not necessarily the full six points. We all remember how the season finished, with the Gunners in third place, with 75 points, 11 behind 2009-10 EPL champions Chelsea.

Time traveling slightly further, to the  2008-09 season, on October 6, 2008, we find Arsenal with a ledger of four wins, one draw and two losses. With 13 points, they rested only four points behind then league leaders Chelsea and Liverpool, and just ahead of Manchester United, owners of 11 points and a game in hand.

That season ended with United taking the league crown with 90 points, followed by Liverpool with 86, Chelsea with 83, and Arsenal in fourth place with 72 points, a full 18 behind the champions.

Returning to October 6, 2010, with the knowledge of the two preceding Premiership seasons now firmly in mind, is it reasonable to think this Arsenal squad can make up an early deficit of seven points behind Chelsea?

Recapping, 2009-10, behind six points on this date, but with a game in hand, Arsenal finished the year 11 points off first place.

In 2008-09, on today's date. only four points off the league lead, the Gunners went on to finish 18 points behind league leading United.

Now, with the largest points deficit Arsenal has seen on October 6 over the last three seasons, are the Gunners capable of concluding their season in a drastically different fashion?

Far be it for me to give up or admit defeat so early in the season, but it is comforting to know where your true ambitions lie. Is Arsenal still a true challenger for the league title, or are they best served securing a top-four finish, and focusing on the still attainable silverware?

With the 2010-11 Gunners off to a flying start in the Champions League, with a path to the knockout rounds already clearly within sight, it might behoove Arsenal to make that competition their primary focus for this season. Of course, facing the top clubs in the world is never a simple task, and the road to European glory is a long and arduous journey.

Talent-wise, though, these Gunners have shown an ability to compete with the best, even if they haven't reached the pinnacle of the footballing world in recent years. Might Arsenal, once healthy again, make a serious challenge for the Champions League in 2010-11?

There are always the league cups as well. Although the FA Cup and Carling Cup have traditionally been viewed as secondary achievements by Arsene Wenger, and opportunities to play younger squad members, they are still tough competitions and reward their champions with the silverware that Arsenal have sorely lacked in recent seasons.

Of course, the Premiership and Champions League should always be the primary objectives for a club like Arsenal, but would it hurt to win a league cup to help restore a winning mentality at the Emirates? For a club purported to aspire to greatness, yet without a trophy aside from the Emirates Cup since 2005, it would seem to me that no competition should be taken for granted.

It is often stated that Arsenal, when healthy, are as talented as anyone in England. While that may be true, it is such a rarity that we have ever seen the majority of the top Gunners play together for more than a handful of games at a time.

Even now, the excuse can be made that in the recent matches in which Arsenal have dropped points, they have been without several of their top players, missing Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott, and Thomas Vermaelen, among others. Of course, this is true, and if those players return to health, Arsenal should once again be a formidable squad to be reckoned with in the Premiership.

How realistic is it to expect that several of those players do return and produce quality football as Arsenal strive to make up their deficit in the league table? Anyone who has followed the club in recent years can tell you that the prospects of RvP and Walcott returning soon and remaining healthy for a considerable period are slim. Even Cesc has displayed a tendency to pick up injuries in recent seasons.

For some reason too, the estimates for injury layoffs nearly always end up being incorrect, with the initial prognosis being mild, only to discover that the ailments require more time than originally stated. This may be why we have heard less and less about the projected recovery times for RvP, Walcott, Bendtner, and Vermaelen in recent weeks.

I am not unrealistic in my expectations, nor do I entertain the notion that is only Arsenal who are afflicted by injury. Football is a physical sport, and injuries are an inevitable byproduct of such an endeavor. It may be that I am growing tired of the familiar refrains of "when we get healthy" or "when the young players mature" as methods of explaining away Arsenals' continual inability to take the next step toward team success.

As a lover of the beautiful game, there is not another club I'd rather support, as Arsenal play a skilled brand of football that should be the envy of teams everywhere. There is no wavering of my support for the Gunners, but occasionally it doesn't harm to be frank and ask the question that no one wants to; is the Premier League title still a realistic goal for Arsenal in 2010-11?