It's obvious why Arsenal are now countless pundits' top picks to win the Premier League in the current campaign.
Look at their results against Newcastle and Crystal Palace versus those same matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have defeated all of them during this campaign, but lost 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race last season.
Defensive Dominance
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are seeming ready to at last realize their title ambition.
They stand first for shutouts (6), goals conceded (3), attempts against (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the best in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Dominance
Their danger from dead balls is widely recognized, but opposition teams still find it difficult to contain the Gunners from these situations.
They have scored 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 perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just wary of them and it is great to see."
Championship Claims
What is especially notable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City on home turf - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they keep winning, their historic competitors are struggling. 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 allocated around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far proven successful in remarkable manner, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the most resilient defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Unbreached games in three straight Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without allowing a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and experts have characterized Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with conviction and determination.
