There's little doubt why Arsenal have become numerous fans' top picks to win the Premier League during this term.
Consider their outcomes against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those same matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have defeated all of them during this campaign, but lost 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Backline
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are looking well positioned to at last realize their title target.
They stand first for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), opposition efforts (72), quality opportunities against (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the strongest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Superiority
Their threat from set-pieces is widely recognized, but rival sides still don't know how to neutralize the Gunners from these chances.
They have registered 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional than any other side, with 69% of their goals coming from these situations.
"Arsenal can excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just afraid of them and it is excellent to see."
Title Claims
What is especially notable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their historic competitors face difficulties. 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 scrutiny was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having allocated around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in quest of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the business has so far yielded results in remarkable manner, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and having the tightest defense, despite several injuries.
- Clean sheets in three straight Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without conceding a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and analysts have described Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now functioning with conviction and determination.
