There's little doubt why Arsenal have become many people's preferred choice to claim the Premier League this season.
Consider their outcomes against Fulham and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have overcome all of them during this campaign, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race previously.
Impenetrable Backline
Arsenal's defensive strength is a crucial element why they are seeming ready to ultimately achieve their title ambition.
They stand first for clean sheets (6), shots let in (3), opposition efforts (72), dangerous chances allowed (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the strongest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Mastery
Their threat from set-pieces is highly documented, but opposition teams still find it difficult 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 intimidation presence. People are just fearful of them and it is excellent to see."
Championship Claims
What is especially impressive about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City on home turf - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their traditional rivals 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 pressure was on manager Mikel Arteta at the outset, having invested around £250m on eight summer signings in quest of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far paid off in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and boasting the tightest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Shutouts in three consecutive Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without allowing a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across various contests
Former players and analysts have labeled Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now performing with confidence and resolve.
