There's little doubt why Arsenal have become countless pundits' preferred choice to win the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their outcomes against Newcastle and Crystal Palace compared to those equivalent matches last season.
The Gunners have defeated all of them this time around, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race in the prior campaign.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's defensive strength is a key reason why they are seeming ready to at last realize their title target.
They lead the league for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the strongest in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Mastery
Their effectiveness from free kicks is well known, but opposition teams still struggle to neutralize the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have scored 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 perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a daunting aura. People are just fearful of them and it is excellent to see."
Championship Credentials
What is even more notable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they continue triumphing, 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 boss Mikel Arteta at the start, having allocated around £250m on eight summer signings in pursuit of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far yielded results in style, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and boasting the most resilient defense, despite several injuries.
- Clean sheets in three consecutive Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without letting in a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and pundits have described Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now functioning with conviction and purpose.
