It's evident why Arsenal stand as many people's favorites to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their outcomes against Newcastle and Crystal Palace in contrast with those equivalent matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have overcome all of them this time around, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race previously.
Defensive Dominance
Arsenal's backline resilience is a key reason why they are appearing strong to ultimately achieve their title goal.
They rank top for shutouts (6), goals allowed (3), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the strongest in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Excellence
Their effectiveness from free kicks is highly documented, but competing clubs still find it difficult to neutralize the Gunners from these situations.
They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, two more than any other side, with 69% of their goals originating from these situations.
"Arsenal can excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just fearful of them and it is excellent to see."
Championship Credentials
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 in their own stadium - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they maintain victories, their traditional rivals aren't faring so well. 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 head coach Mikel Arteta at the start, having spent around £250m on eight summer signings in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the business has so far proven successful in impressive fashion, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and having the tightest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Clean sheets in three consecutive Premier League games
- 385 minutes without conceding a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and experts have characterized Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now functioning with conviction and resolve.
