Arsenal’s seasonal wobble seems to have started early this year; a high-score drubbing at one of the big sides, narrow defeat at Stoke and murmers of discontent from the stands normally wait until later in the campaign than August.

Perhaps a dodgy start could help the Gunners, though. After that initial blip, Arsene Wenger has led his side to six wins and a draw from seven.

Their improvement has been so rapid that even with a potential makeshift backline for their visit to Vicarage Road this afternoon, Football.London’s Arsenal writer Charles Watts thinks only the international break could halt their momentum ahead of the tea-time kick-off.

”The break came at a bad time for them really,” he said. “They were going fantastically. To be honest, getting rid of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain helped in a big way.

”Wenger was trying to persuade him to stay so much he’d move other players out if position to accommodate him, and that culminated in the debacle at Anfield.

”But if Laurent Koscielny is out, which he might be, then it’s a bit of an injury crisis at the back. It’d be a back three of Nacho Monreal, Rob Holding and Per Mertesacker.

”Holding hasn’t been in great form so far and looks the young former Charlton defender that, to be fair, he is. But last season he was great. Per hasn’t played in the Premier League yet this season either.

”But Arsenal have a good record at Vicarage Road, and I’d bet on them to win still.”

The Gunners have changed things up since these sides last met, playing a 3-4-2-1 formation - the first time Arsenal have used a back three in years.

Despite that, not a lot has changed about their play; they still have all the hallmarks of an Arsene Wenger side, but will be without one of the main lynchpins of their new-found shape today.

”It’s still all about possession and passing,” Watts said. “It just allows Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez more freedom, but Ozil isn’t going to start.

”It came about because something needed to change last season. The loss to Watford at the Emirates wasn’t the nail in the coffin per se, but everyone just knew the league had gone at that point. Arsenal weren’t at the races and need to win games like that.

”They’ve got the new boys too, Alexandre Lacazette and Saed Kolasinac, who have probably been their best players this season. Kolasinac is a beast and Lacazette has been really good too, but he’s not scored on the road yet - although neither have Arsenal.”

A result is certainly not beyond Watford given their start and Arsenal’s difficulties away from home, but the Gunners are on an upward trajectory and are already looking a difficult prospect at Vicarage Road.