October was supposed to be a pivotal month for Arsenal Football Club in their fight to win the Premier League. After yet another shaky start to their Premier League campaign, they were last week handed a golden opportunity to move closer to the top of the table ahead of the busy Christmas schedule.
After August's humiliating defeat at Liverpool, the Gunners produced a number of impressive back-to-back performances which allowed them to move up to fifth in the table, just six points behind leaders Manchester City and Manchester United.
And they approached the away game against Watford knowing that Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea all dropped points, gifting the Gunners a rare chance to cut the gap.
But they blew it.
And this time, the pressure of the Champions League can no longer be used as an excuse by the North Londoners.
In fact, manager Arsene Wenger did make a fool of himself by saying that the competition is no longer as interesting as it used to be but it is clear that the Europa League is not as demanding as Europe's most prestigious competition and this was supposed to allow the Frenchman to rotate his squad so as to focus entirely on the Premier League campaign.
If we are to analyse what the major betting websites are predicting after Saturday's defeat, the Gunners are no longer in a very strong position according to Premier League Betting 2018 information and this comes as no surprise considering that Manchester City are going like a train.
Granted, it's too early to say whether one should place a bet on Arsenal winning the domestic league as they tend to improve during the last part of the campaign and with the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur all having to deal with the pressure of Champions League football, things could still face a turnaround.
But if they are to improve, they must act fast.
Arsenal will play Crvena Zvezda in the Europa League next, before facing Everton in the Premier League and two relatively easy games at home against Norwich City and Swansea City to close the month.
If they are to send a strong signal to their rivals before it's too late, it has to be this month, especially since almost all key players are fit.
And if in the past Arsenal players were renowned for suffering long-term injuries, it seems this is now a problem being faced by other teams, as Paul Pogba is recovering from a hamstring injury, Benjamin Mendy suffered a knee ligament injury and Liverpool's Sadio Mane will be out for weeks, also with a hamstring injury.
If the Arsenal players can stay fit they will have to do their utmost best if they are to be in with a shout for a top-place finish in the domestic league.
