There's no doubt why Arsenal are now many people's favorites to secure the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their results against Newcastle and Crystal Palace versus those equivalent 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 dropped off in the title race previously.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are appearing strong to ultimately achieve their title target.
They lead the league for shutouts (6), goals conceded (3), shots faced (72), dangerous chances allowed (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the best in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Proficiency
Their effectiveness from free kicks is well known, but competing clubs still struggle to contain the Gunners from these situations.
They have registered 11 times from set-pieces in the league, a couple extra than any other side, with 69% of their goals resulting 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."
Championship Pedigree
What is especially remarkable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they maintain victories, their traditional rivals are struggling. This marks the first time 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 start, having invested around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in search of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far paid off in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and possessing the most resilient defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Shutouts in each of their last three Premier League games
- Over six hours without conceding a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and experts have labeled Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now operating with conviction and purpose.
