With ten games of the new English Premier League season gone, Arsene Wenger would not have envisaged Arsenal sitting on just 15 points, and more importantly nine behind leaders Manchester United.
The likes of Chelsea and Manchester City, along with United, are right up there fighting for the Premier League, but if recent form is anything to go by, it is hard to visualize the Gunners challenging for the title this season.
If there ever was a time to make a statement, it would be Saturday -- at their own stadium the Emirates, in the London Derby against Fulham. Arsenal have not had a seriously convincing win since their 6-1 walloping of bottom club Southampton early on in the season - the start which promised much, but has gone down drastically over the last couple of weeks.
On paper, Arsenal have an attacking lineup that can rival any team with the likes of Jack Wilshere, who will miss the Fulham game through suspension, Santi Cazorla, Lukas Podolski, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Gervinho to name just a few. However, what looks good on paper, doesn't necessarily have to translate into brilliance on the pitch.
Cazorla, for instance, after a bright start, has faded, as has Podolski, who looked like he was easily on his way to a 20-goal season. Two of Arsenal's new recruits had promised a bright future, but like their form, the lights have dimmed considerably at the Emirates.
The season's not over yet, but it will be if Arsenal play a couple more similar games to the ones they played in the Premier League against Manchester United and Norwich City. The Gunners have forced their own hand and now need to go on a winning run in the next couple of months, just to stay within touching distance of the frontrunners. There cannot be any more excuses, if they are to seriously consider themselves title contenders.
For Saturday's game Wenger will be without Wilshere after the 20-year-old picked up a red card against United, while Oxlade-Chamberlain and Aaron Ramsey are to undergo fitness tests.
Wojciech Szczesny, though, might make the squad after overcoming his injury. The goalkeeper is slated to play in Arsenal's under-21 game on Friday with Wenger then making a decision based on how the keeper comes out of it. Vito Mannone has shown excellent form, and even if Szczesny makes a return, the Italian goalkeeper might retain his place in the starting lineup.
Fulham sit pretty in eighth, level on points with Arsenal and look like possible contenders for a place in Europe. The Cottagers are unbeaten in their travels in the last three games, and manager Martin Jol is keen to continue that good run. "We've done okay in our away matches so far with a win and two draws," Jol told reporters. "So hopefully we can do something similar.
"Arsenal have always been a good footballing team and they will have been disappointed to lose their last league game against Manchester United, but those are two top teams who want to win. Against Schalke they were okay and drew 2-2, even though they were 2-0 up. And they beat Queens Park Rangers 1-0 recently so I think they are doing fine.
"If we play a good game then we can cause them problems. We did that last season at the Emirates but they scored a late goal to make it 1-1. Then at home Bobby Zamora won the game in the last couple of minutes, so hopefully we can do the same this time."
The Cottagers have no major injury worries, with Jol terming Mahamadou Diarra's chances of playing against Arsenal as 50-50.
Fulham will be the first of many important tests for the Gunners in the month of November, and how they come out of it might just shape the course of their whole season.
Expected lineups: Arsenal: Mannone; Vermaelen, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Sagna; Arteta, Ramsey, Cazorla; Walcott, Podolski, Giroud.
Fulham: Schwarzer; Riether, Hughes, Hangeland, Riise; Baird, Sidwell, Duff, Kacaniklic, Ruiz; Berbatov.
Prediction: 3-0 to Arsenal