There's little doubt why Arsenal have become countless pundits' top picks to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.
Examine their results against Fulham and Crystal Palace versus those same matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have beaten all of them in the current season, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race last season.
Defensive Dominance
Arsenal's backline resilience is a key reason why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They lead the league for unbreached games (6), goals conceded (3), shots faced (72), dangerous chances allowed (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the finest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Excellence
Their threat from set-pieces is highly documented, but competing clubs still don't know how to stop the Gunners from these chances.
They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, a couple extra than any other side, with 69% of their goals coming 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 great to see."
Title Potential
What is even more remarkable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City on home turf - 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 start, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions in quest of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the business has so far paid off in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and possessing the tightest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Clean sheets in three consecutive Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without letting in a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and pundits have characterized Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with confidence and determination.
