It's evident why Arsenal are now many people's top picks to win the Premier League during this term.
Consider their performances against Newcastle and Crystal Palace versus those identical matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have overcome all of them during this campaign, but dropped 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Backline
Arsenal's defensive strength is a key reason why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title goal.
They stand first for unbreached games (6), shots let in (3), attempts against (72), dangerous chances allowed (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the strongest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Excellence
Their threat from set-pieces is highly documented, but opposition teams still find it difficult to contain the Gunners from these chances.
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 wary of them and it is wonderful to see."
Title Claims
What is especially impressive about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their traditional rivals aren't faring so well. 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 boss Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having invested around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far yielded results in impressive fashion, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and boasting the most resilient defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Clean sheets in three straight Premier League games
- Over six hours without conceding a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across various contests
Former players and experts have labeled Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with conviction and purpose.
