The evidence is undeniable why Arsenal stand as many people's favorites to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their performances against West Ham and Crystal Palace versus those same matches last season.
The Gunners have beaten all of them in the current season, but lost 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race last season.
Impenetrable Backline
Arsenal's defensive solidity is a primary factor why they are appearing strong to at last realize their title target.
They stand first for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), shots faced (72), dangerous chances allowed (19) and xGA (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the strongest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Expertise
Their threat from set-pieces is well known, but rival sides still struggle to stop the Gunners from these situations.
They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, a couple extra 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 intimidation presence. People are just wary of them and it is excellent to see."
Championship Claims
What is particularly impressive about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their traditional rivals aren't faring so well. This marks the initial occasion 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 pressure was on manager Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far proven successful in remarkable manner, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and having the most resilient defense, despite several injuries.
- Clean sheets in three consecutive Premier League games
- 385 minutes without conceding a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and pundits have characterized Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now performing with belief and purpose.
