It's evident why Arsenal are now many people's top picks to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their results against West Ham and Crystal Palace versus those same matches last season.
The Gunners have defeated all of them in the current season, but dropped 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race last season.
Defensive Prowess
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are seeming ready to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They stand first for shutouts (6), goals allowed (3), opposition efforts (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially 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 highly documented, but competing clubs still find it difficult to contain 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 perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just wary of them and it is excellent to see."
Title Credentials
What is particularly notable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City on home turf - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their historic competitors aren't faring so well. 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 pressure was on manager Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having spent around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far paid off in style, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and boasting the most resilient defense, despite several injuries.
- Shutouts in three straight Premier League games
- Over six hours without allowing a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and experts have described Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with conviction and resolve.
