Mikel Arteta has already failed in title ambition but Arsenal aren't out of the race yet

In the summer, Mikel Arteta was asked what Arsenal would need to win the Premier League.

"114 points"! he claimed. "If we do that, we win the league for sure. This is the objective, from there we’ll see what we get. Earn the right to win it and have the biggest probability over the opponent. When we have difficulties that we are still better than the opponents. That’s really the objective."

It’s safe to say that hasn’t worked out. Just 11 games into the season and Arsenal have already dropped almost half as many points as they did in the entirety of last campaign (12 this year vs 25 last time out).

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To make matters worse, Liverpool’s formidable start to the season means that Arsenal are already nine points off the pace. No side in Premier League history has made up such a margin after such a poor start. This has led many to claim that they’re almost out of the title race already.

“As [Mikel Arteta] says, he’s got to get the players fit now. He’s got to fill the tank up. That’s the main thing,” Paul Merson said on Sky Sports‘ coverage.

“You can have flat tyres but if you ain’t got diesel or petrol in it, that’s the main thing. That’s what he’s got to do, he’s got to fill them back up again and they’ve got to go on a run.

“They’ve got to make sure this goes down to six points before it gets to 12 points. If it gets to 12 – goodnight!”

Arteta is not willing to conceded just yet. Instead he wants his team to fight.

“When it gets nasty, show your teeth and show how much you want it,” he said in his . “When it’s Disneyland, it’s very easy. Everybody’s next to you, telling you how beautiful you are.

“When it gets dark and difficult and everybody’s questioning it, that’s when I want to see people. I’m looking around. Who is going to step in that boat? Yes or no?”

The Spaniard is right to want to keep swinging. You wouldn’t expect him to throw the towel in at this stage anyway, but Arteta has reason to be optimistic.

Firstly he is getting some of his key players back. Arsenal have had rotten luck with injuries this season. Captain Martin Odegaard has been out for nearly two months with an ankle problem and the only players to have not missed any minutes due to injury or suspension have been Thomas Partey, Jorginho, Kai Havertz and Raheem Sterling. Now though, with Riccardo Calafiori not far from a return, Arteta could have just Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney missing for the visit of Nottingham Forest after the international break.

On top of that Manchester City are dropping points too. Pep Guardiola’s men have lost four times in a row for the first time since he took charge as they battle injury problems of their own.

The hope now will be that Arsenal are able to catch up with Liverpool. The Reds have made a great start under Arne Slot, but it’s impossible that they’ll go through the whole season without a hiccup. How they respond to that will be fascinating. It’s essential that Arsenal are primed to pounce on any slip up.

The Gunners have had a brutal start to the season in terms of the fixture list. After playing Nottingham Forest they’ll have faced nine of the current Premier League top 10 within their first 12 matches.

. The league may well be out of their hands, but Arsenal aren’t out of the title race just yet.