It's obvious why Arsenal stand as numerous fans' favorites to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their outcomes against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those equivalent matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have overcome 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 ambition.
They lead the league for shutouts (6), goals conceded (3), attempts against (72), shots on target faced (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the finest 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 highly documented, but competing clubs still struggle to stop the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional than any other side, with 69% of their goals originating from these situations.
"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just fearful of them and it is excellent to see."
Championship Pedigree
What is especially impressive about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their traditional rivals 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 expectations was on boss Mikel Arteta at the start, having spent around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in search of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far proven successful in style, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and possessing the tightest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Clean sheets in three consecutive Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 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 functioning with belief and determination.
