It's obvious why Arsenal stand as many people's favorites to secure the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their results against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those equivalent matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have overcome all of them this time around, but dropped 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race in the prior campaign.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's defensive strength is a key reason why they are seeming ready to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They stand first for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), shots faced (72), quality opportunities against (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 danger from dead balls is well known, but rival sides still don't know how 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 originating from these situations.
"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just afraid of them and it is great to see."
Championship Claims
What is particularly impressive about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City at home - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they keep winning, their historic competitors aren't faring so well. This marks the initial occasion at this stage 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 start, having allocated 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 style, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and possessing the tightest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Clean sheets in three consecutive Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without conceding a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across various contests
Former players and pundits have described Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now operating with belief and purpose.
