Is that it then? Is Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge over for another season on the first weekend of November? Perhaps not entirely, as Rodri’s absence and Arne Slot’s inexperience in the Premier League mean this could be an unusual season, even when the possible consequences of the charges against Manchester City are taken into account. But if Arsenal are to win the league for the first time in 21 years they will need huge improvement and at the moment they look like a team that has lost its sense of direction and confidence.

The rule of thumb is that it takes at least 90 points to win the Premier League these days. That means teams can only afford to give up 24; Arsenal have already lost 12 players – half of what they can lose in a quarter of the season played. It’s true that the schedule hasn’t been particularly good, that they’ve already played their away games against Manchester City, Aston Villa, Tottenham and Newcastle, but still their margin for error in the remaining 28 games is extremely limited.

After ten games this season, Arsenal have six points less than last season and nine points less than the season before. But it’s not just about results, it’s also about performance. And having picked up just one point from their last three league games, Arsenal travel to Chelsea next Sunday. With Nottingham Forest playing at home in the following game, it feels like a period of crisis.

This was a game lost in the 12th minute when Anthony Gordon played a perfect cross for Alexander Isak to head in – perhaps the advantage of having a right-footed winger playing unfashionably on the right. It was a wonderful cross and a decisive header. In a way it was just one of those things, an extremely good goal. On the other hand, Arsenal have become a club where these things happen all the time – and there were always elements that could have been done better.

Thomas Partey’s clearing header brought the ball back into the central area just outside the penalty area, giving Bruno Guimarães possession. Gordon crossed the ball for the first time but still had a notable window to measure his throw; Could Jurriën Timber or Gabriel Martinelli have done more to apply pressure? And Isak remained unchallenged and slipped into the surprisingly large gap between Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba. A beautiful goal, yes, but made possible by three moments of laxity. It has been six league games since Arsenal kept a clean sheet, with last season’s vaunted defense in danger of becoming a memory.

But the game was also lost on September 9th in Oslo because Martin Ødegaard injured ankle ligaments while playing for Norway. Without him there is a lack of creativity in the midfield, there is a lack of intelligence that holds the other parts of the team together. The quasi 4-4-2 with which Arsenal played on Saturday seemed blocky and unconvincing. Like Bournemouth in their last away game, they achieved very little. There were a few set pieces that led to shots in a crowded penalty area, as well as Declan Rice’s late header from a Bukayo Saka cross, but other than that Newcastle kept Arsenal at relatively comfortable distance.

While it must be acknowledged that Manchester City’s resources are far greater, meaning they can weather Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne’s injuries with less drama, that does lead to scrutiny of Arsenal’s recruitment. The season before last, Arsenal’s title bid ran out of steam as Ødegaard grew tired; The need to provide support was obvious. There was the thought that Kai Havertz could do that, but he is now apparently a confirmed striker. Mikel Merino is not that type of midfielder. Fábio Vieira, who cost £35m in 2022, started five league games and is on loan at Porto. Emile Smith Rowe is at Fulham. Maybe another left-back/centre-back wasn’t a priority in the summer.

And then there are the psychological effects of Ødegaard’s absence, which appear to have pushed Arsenal into an increasingly defensive stance that, paradoxically, has made them worse at defending. Ødegaard’s injury has become part of the wider Arsenal pursuit complex. And on that note, this game was lost on the corresponding weekend a year ago; lost 1-0 at Newcastle thanks to Gordon’s controversial goal, which seemed to send Arteta and most of the club with him into complete conspiracy mode.

That, in turn, contributed to the strangely hectic build-up to the game this week, and perhaps to the frustration that led to four Arsenal players being booked after half-time for inconsistencies or foul fouls. Arteta has even admitted that his own emotional behavior hasn’t helped, but there remains a puzzling culture of entitlement at Arsenal, a tendency to lose duels, an inability to overcome adversity.

Maybe they’ve been unlucky at times lately, but at some point title winners have to do their job. And Arsenal doesn’t do that.