It's evident why Arsenal have become countless pundits' favorites to win the Premier League during this term.
Consider their outcomes against Newcastle and Crystal Palace in contrast with those identical matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have overcome all of them during this campaign, but lost 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race last season.
Defensive Prowess
Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are seeming ready to ultimately achieve their title goal.
They stand first for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), opposition efforts (72), quality opportunities against (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the strongest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Mastery
Their threat from set-pieces is widely recognized, but opposition teams still struggle to stop the Gunners from these chances.
They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, two more than any other side, with 69% of their goals resulting from these situations.
"Arsenal can do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just wary of them and it is wonderful to see."
Title Claims
What is especially impressive about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City on home turf - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their traditional rivals are struggling. This marks the initial occasion 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 pressure was on manager Mikel Arteta at the start, having spent around £250m on eight summer signings in pursuit 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 having the tightest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Shutouts in three straight Premier League games
- Over six hours without conceding a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and pundits have labeled Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now functioning with confidence and purpose.
