It's obvious why Arsenal have become numerous fans' top picks to win the Premier League during this term.
Consider their performances against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those same matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have beaten all of them in the current season, but lost 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race last season.
Impenetrable Backline
Arsenal's backline resilience is a key reason why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title goal.
They stand first for shutouts (6), shots let in (3), opposition efforts (72), shots on target faced (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The central defensive pairing 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.
Dead-Ball Excellence
Their danger from dead balls is widely recognized, but competing clubs still don't know how to contain the Gunners from these situations.
They have registered 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 excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just afraid of them and it is excellent to see."
Championship Credentials
What is particularly impressive about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City at home - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they keep winning, their historic competitors aren't faring so well. This marks the premier instance 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 boss Mikel Arteta at the start, having invested around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in search of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far paid off in impressive fashion, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and having the strongest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Clean sheets in three straight Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without letting in a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and pundits have described Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now performing with conviction and purpose.
