If Arsenal want to be serious contenders for a top-four spot or dare I say, title challengers, then they have to be beating teams like Watford on their own ground.
There cannot be any ifs or buts or excuses, Arsenal has a better squad of players than Watford and it is unrealistic to suggest otherwise.
That is not being arrogant, it is a statement of fact and while any team can beat any other team in the Premier League, as Norwich City showed against Man City, it has to be a rarity if Arsenal is serious about competing at the top of the league this season.
Watford has been punching above their weight for years, they are now rock bottom and have discarded their manager after just four games, they are there for the taking, it is as simple as that.
If Arsenal plays to their true level then they will emerge the winners, if they do not play to their true level then they only have themselves to blame, no one else, not VAR, not the ref, not even how well Watford play.
The reason it was such a shock City lost to Norwich is that it is so rare, that does not apply to Arsenal, why? Because too often Arsenal does succumb to teams with far less quality than themselves.
This may seem a bit like a sermon or lecture but it is more frustrating that it has to be said in the first place, us fans should not be anxious about playing Watford away.
The time for excuses is now over, now is the time for the Arsenal players to deploy their talent to the fullest and win.