There's no doubt why Arsenal have become countless pundits' preferred choice to win the Premier League during this term.
Consider their outcomes against Newcastle and Crystal Palace versus those identical matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have defeated all of them in the current season, but lost 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Defense
Arsenal's defensive solidity is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to at last realize their title ambition.
They rank top for clean sheets (6), goals conceded (3), opposition efforts (72), quality opportunities against (19) and xGA (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the finest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Proficiency
Their threat from set-pieces is highly documented, but competing clubs still find it difficult to contain the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have registered 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 do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just fearful of them and it is great to see."
Title Potential
What is particularly notable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City on home turf - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they keep winning, their historic competitors are struggling. This marks the initial occasion at this juncture 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 acquisitions in quest of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the business has so far yielded results in impressive fashion, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and possessing the tightest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Shutouts in three straight Premier League games
- 385 minutes without letting in a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and analysts have described Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now operating with conviction and purpose.
