It's obvious why Arsenal stand as many people's preferred choice to claim the Premier League during this term.
Consider their results against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches last season.
The Gunners have overcome all of them during this campaign, but lost 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race previously.
Defensive Prowess
Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are looking well positioned to finally fulfil their title goal.
They stand first for clean sheets (6), shots let in (3), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the best in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Proficiency
Their effectiveness from free kicks is highly documented, but opposition teams still don't know how to stop 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 resulting from these situations.
"Arsenal can excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just fearful of them and it is excellent to see."
Title Credentials
What is especially notable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City at home - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their long-standing opponents aren't faring so well. This marks the premier instance 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 pressure was on boss Mikel Arteta at the outset, having allocated around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in search of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far proven successful in remarkable manner, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and boasting the tightest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Shutouts in three straight Premier League games
- Over six hours without conceding a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and experts have labeled Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now functioning with conviction and resolve.
