Are Cesc Fabregas and Arsenal the Favorites in the Barclays Premier League?

Cesc Fabregas and Arsenal beat West Ham United 3-0 yesterday, and look in top form as they close in on Manchester United and Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.

Robin Van Persie scored twice yesterday vs. West Ham, and is starting to become a great player again after coming back from injury.

Theo Walcott also scored yesterday, and is finally proving he can find consistent success in scoring goals.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger must be excited to see Walcott in fine form. He is a young and exciting player, whose pace causes real problems for teams.

Walcott and French midfielder Samir Nasri have had breakout seasons this year, and are the key players to Arsenal's future success.

Arsenal is competing well in the Carling Cup, FA Cup, Champions League and Premier League, and the need to win a trophy is critical in order to persuade captain Cesc Fabregas to not move to Barcelona next summer.

The problem for Arsenal in recent seasons is they cannot beat the big four in England (Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham). Arsenal is part of that group of elite teams, but the Gunners struggle when they play these teams, which is why they come close, but cannot win the Premier League.

Arsenal beat Chelsea 3-0 earlier in the year, proving to England and themselves that they can beat the Premier League's best teams.

Earlier in the year, Manchester United beat Arsenal on a fluky header goal by Ji-Sung Park, a defeat hard for Arsenal fans to take.

To be fair, Fabregas and Van Persie did not enter the game at Old Trafford until the second half, so when United comes to the Emirates later this season, the game might have huge title implications.

Arsenal has the players to win the premier league, whether they rise to the challenge is a different story.

Can Arsenal beat the best teams in England? Yes. Will they? The answer will decide the 2011 Premier League title.

If Arsenal win the EPL, their chances of keeping captain and best player Cesc Fabregas go up considerably, and that fact alone is something to give 100 percent effort every game for.