It's evident why Arsenal have become countless pundits' favorites to win the Premier League during this term.
Look at their outcomes against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have beaten all of them during this campaign, but dropped 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race last season.
Impenetrable Rearguard
Arsenal's defensive strength is a primary factor why they are appearing strong to ultimately achieve their title ambition.
They lead the league for unbreached games (6), goals conceded (3), shots faced (72), quality opportunities against (19) and expected goals against (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 Mastery
Their effectiveness from free kicks is widely recognized, but rival sides still don't know how to neutralize the Gunners from these situations.
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 do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just fearful of them and it is wonderful to see."
Title Potential
What is particularly 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 in their own stadium - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they keep winning, 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 pressure was on manager Mikel Arteta at the outset, having allocated around £250m on eight summer additions in search of that coveted 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 most resilient defense, despite several injuries.
- Clean sheets in three straight Premier League games
- Over six hours without letting in a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and experts have labeled Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now operating with conviction and resolve.
