Is it finally the year for the Gunners?

The last time they mentioned about winning silverware in 2011, Laurent Koscielny comically gave it away to the relegated Birmingham at Wembley. 10 gameweeks have past, Arsenal finds themselves at the top of the table, convincingly leading co-2nd place Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham by 5 points. Nevertheless, the Gunners have been relatively cautious in all discussions about "title hopes" so far. There are solid reasons behind this, that also drive BBC Match of the Day pundits Alan Shearer and Danny Murphy playing down their chance of topping the table next May.

The recent pain may finally be relieved

Arsenal have not had much troubles in beating weaker teams usually. Strong performance in the second half of the season has fuelled them to finish among the top four consistently in recent years. What Arsene Wenger and the team have improved further this year is the stability of the squad early in the season. late August departures of key players like Cesc Fabregas, Robin Van Persie, Samir Nasri and Alex Song had unsettled the balance of the team. More often than not, they were out of the title race by October.

The opening day defeat against Aston Villa seems to resemble the misery, but Wenger admirably led the team to win 8 of the next 9 league matches. Deadline acquisition Mehmet Ozil has already established as a key figure in North London, bagging 2 goals and 4 assists in his brief two months spell.   

They have not looked back since the opening day defeat

What Arsenal has yet to demonstrate is the quality and characters to beat the top teams. The visiting Tottenham and Liverpool were overpowered, with the former was more concerned about the transfer window and the latter was tactically outperformed for 45 minutes, but undoubtedly, getting the better of Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea is the key to winning the league.

Flamini the X-factor

It would be harsh to rule them out any chance in beating the trio, but one thing for sure is they need a healthy Mathieu Flamini. There are plenty of talents and creativity in those midfields that without a tireless warrior like the Frenchman, Arsenal looks incapable to protect the back, let alone winning possession to allow their playmakers to take charge. Their recent defeats against Dortmund in Champions League and Chelsea in Capital One Cup, playing without the injured Flamini, have proved the point.

The depth of the squad is also an uncertainty. Flamini might be the only defensive midfielder in the first team. His fellow Olivier Giroud has also growingly become irreplaceable. The in-form striker is a rare big man who enjoys success as a Arsenal striker. The concern for Wenger would be the lack of reliable substitute on the bench.

While resources in attacking midfield are more than sufficient, those on the defensive end are scarce. Carl Jenkinson is a promising youngster who could provide some cover for Bacary Sagna, but only out-of-form Thomas Vermaelen is available to back-up Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny. The likelihood they could survive from injury problems in the next 7 months is very limited. January addition is almost inevitable.

A good start is vital to success. After a brilliant three months time, the real challenge has arrived, with Manchester United, Southampton, Everton, Manchester City, and Chelsea all lined up before Christmas. If Wenger can convert the enormous confidence of the players at present into critical victories in the next few weeks, the title talk might finally become realistic after eight years of drought.