It's clear why Arsenal are now many people's top picks to secure the Premier League during this term.
Consider their outcomes against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have beaten all of them in the current season, but dropped 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race previously.
Impenetrable Defense
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are seeming ready to ultimately achieve their title goal.
They rank top for clean sheets (6), shots let in (3), opposition efforts (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the strongest in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Excellence
Their danger from dead balls is highly documented, but opposition teams still don't know how 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 wary of them and it is excellent to see."
Championship Pedigree
What is particularly impressive about Arsenal's commencement 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 keep winning, their traditional rivals aren't faring so well. This marks the first time 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 scrutiny was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the start, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions in search of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far paid off in impressive fashion, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and having the tightest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Shutouts in three straight Premier League games
- 385 minutes without allowing a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across various contests
Former players and pundits have described Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now performing with belief and purpose.
