There's little doubt why Arsenal have become many people's top picks to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their outcomes against Newcastle and Crystal Palace versus those identical matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have defeated all of them this time around, but dropped 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Rearguard
Arsenal's defensive strength is a key reason why they are looking well positioned to at last realize their title target.
They stand first for unbreached games (6), shots let in (3), shots faced (72), quality opportunities against (19) and xGA (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the strongest in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Excellence
Their danger from dead balls is highly documented, but opposition teams still don't know how to neutralize the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional than any other side, with 69% of their goals coming from these situations.
"Arsenal can excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a daunting aura. People are just afraid of them and it is excellent to see."
Championship Credentials
What is particularly notable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they maintain victories, their traditional rivals aren't faring so well. This marks the premier instance at this stage of the season since 1992 that none of Manchester City and United, Liverpool or Chelsea are in the Premier League top four.
The expectations was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the start, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions in quest of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far paid off in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and boasting the most resilient defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Clean sheets in three consecutive Premier League games
- Over six hours without conceding a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and pundits have characterized Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now operating with conviction and determination.
