Arsenal defender Ashley Cole believes the Gunners are facing a tough season after failing to replace key players.
Middlesbrough beat Arsenal 2-1 on Saturday - leaving the Gunners nine points behind leaders Chelsea.
"We've lost key players, but we've only really bought Alexander Hleb in," said Cole. "We've lost Patrick Vieira, who was our main inspiration in midfield.
"There's nothing we can do about it and we've just got to do what we can with the squad we've got."
Arsenal have lost to Chelsea and Boro - and Cole added: "If you look at the history of the championship, this is very early to have lost two games, so it's going to be very hard from now.
"It's going to be tougher this year because I don't reckon we can afford to lose any more than three or four times.
"If we lose more than four, then it's going to be a struggle because teams are getting better now and sides like Liverpool and Newcastle have added to their squads, which is going to make it even tougher for us."
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Match of the Day - Post-match interviews