It's obvious why Arsenal have become numerous fans' top picks to win the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their performances against Fulham and Crystal Palace versus those equivalent matches last season.
The Gunners have overcome all of them during this campaign, but dropped 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race previously.
Defensive Dominance
Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to at last realize their title ambition.
They stand first for unbreached games (6), shots let in (3), opposition efforts (72), dangerous chances allowed (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the best in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Superiority
Their effectiveness from free kicks is highly documented, but opposition teams still struggle to contain the Gunners from these situations.
They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional than any other side, with 69% of their goals resulting from these situations.
"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just wary of them and it is excellent to see."
Championship Claims
What is especially impressive about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City at home - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they keep winning, their traditional rivals face difficulties. This marks the premier instance at this point 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 manager Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the business has so far paid off in style, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and possessing the strongest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Clean sheets in three consecutive Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without conceding a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across various contests
Former players and pundits have described Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now functioning with confidence and purpose.
