It's obvious why Arsenal stand as countless pundits' favorites to secure the Premier League in the current campaign.
Look at their outcomes against Newcastle and Crystal Palace versus those identical 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 fell away in the title race last season.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's backline resilience is a key reason why they are looking well positioned to ultimately achieve their title ambition.
They rank top for clean sheets (6), shots let in (3), attempts against (72), quality opportunities against (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the finest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Expertise
Their effectiveness from free kicks is well known, but competing clubs still don't know how to neutralize 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 coming from these situations.
"Arsenal can do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just wary of them and it is excellent to see."
Title Claims
What is especially remarkable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they maintain victories, their historic competitors aren't faring so well. This marks the premier instance 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 expectations was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having invested around £250m on eight summer signings in quest of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the business has so far paid off in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the tightest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Unbreached games in three straight Premier League games
- Over six hours without letting in a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across various contests
Former players and analysts have labeled Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with conviction and resolve.
