It's evident why Arsenal are now many people's top picks to secure the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their outcomes against Fulham and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches last season.
The Gunners have defeated all of them this time around, but dropped 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race last season.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's defensive strength is a primary factor why they are seeming ready to at last realize their title ambition.
They stand first for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), opposition efforts (72), quality opportunities against (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the finest in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Superiority
Their threat from set-pieces is widely recognized, but competing clubs still find it difficult to neutralize the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional 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 intimidation presence. People are just fearful of them and it is excellent to see."
Title Claims
What is particularly impressive about Arsenal's beginning 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 keep winning, their historic competitors aren't faring so well. This marks the first time 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 pressure was on manager Mikel Arteta at the outset, having allocated around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far yielded results in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the tightest defense, despite several injuries.
- Shutouts in three straight Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without letting in a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and pundits have described Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now operating with conviction and determination.
