It's obvious why Arsenal have become many people's preferred choice to secure the Premier League this season.
Look at their performances against Newcastle and Crystal Palace versus those equivalent matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have overcome all of them in the current season, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race previously.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's backline resilience is a key reason why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title target.
They stand first for shutouts (6), shots let in (3), opposition efforts (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the strongest in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Dominance
Their effectiveness from free kicks is well known, but rival sides still don't know how to neutralize the Gunners from these chances.
They have notched 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 intimidation presence. 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 played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home 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 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 outset, having allocated around £250m on eight summer signings in search of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far proven successful in remarkable manner, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and possessing the tightest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Unbreached games in three consecutive Premier League games
- 385 minutes without allowing a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across various contests
Former players and experts have labeled Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with confidence and determination.
