It's obvious why Arsenal have become countless pundits' top picks to claim the Premier League this season.
Consider their results against Newcastle and Crystal Palace in contrast with those identical matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have overcome all of them in the current season, but lost 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Defense
Arsenal's defensive strength is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title goal.
They lead the league for shutouts (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), shots on target faced (19) and xGA (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the best in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Expertise
Their threat from set-pieces is widely recognized, but rival sides still don't know how to stop the Gunners from these chances.
They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, a couple extra than any other side, with 69% of their goals coming from these situations.
"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just afraid of them and it is great to see."
Title Potential
What is even more notable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City at home - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their traditional rivals 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 additions in search of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far yielded results in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and boasting the most resilient defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Clean sheets in three consecutive Premier League games
- 385 minutes without conceding a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across various contests
Former players and experts have described Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now operating with belief and determination.
