There's little doubt why Arsenal are now many people's preferred choice to win the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their results against Fulham and Crystal Palace versus those equivalent matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have overcome all of them in the current season, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race in the prior campaign.
Defensive Prowess
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are looking well positioned to ultimately achieve their title goal.
They lead the league for clean sheets (6), shots let in (3), opposition efforts (72), shots on target faced (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the strongest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Excellence
Their effectiveness from free kicks is widely recognized, but competing clubs still don't know how to contain the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have registered 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional 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 wary of them and it is great to see."
Title Claims
What is even more impressive about Arsenal's start 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 leading by four at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their long-standing opponents are struggling. 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 manager Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having allocated around £250m on eight summer signings in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far paid off in style, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and having the most resilient defense, despite several injuries.
- Clean sheets in three straight Premier League games
- Over six hours without letting in a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across various contests
Former players and analysts have described Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now functioning with belief and purpose.
