It's obvious why Arsenal stand as countless pundits' preferred choice to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.
Look at their outcomes against West Ham and Crystal Palace versus those equivalent matches last season.
The Gunners have overcome all of them this time around, but dropped 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race previously.
Defensive Dominance
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They stand first for clean sheets (6), goals conceded (3), opposition efforts (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The central defensive pairing 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.
Dead-Ball Superiority
Their danger from dead balls is widely recognized, but competing clubs still don't know how to stop the Gunners from these chances.
They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, a couple extra 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 great to see."
Title Credentials
What is even more impressive about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they keep winning, their historic competitors face difficulties. 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 expectations was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the start, having invested around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in pursuit of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far paid off in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and boasting the strongest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Shutouts in three consecutive Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without allowing a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and pundits have described Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with confidence and determination.
