There's no doubt why Arsenal have become many people's preferred choice to win the Premier League this season.
Consider their results against Newcastle and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have defeated all of them in the current season, but lost 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Rearguard
Arsenal's defensive solidity is a key reason why they are seeming ready to finally fulfil their title target.
They lead the league for shutouts (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), shots on target faced (19) and xGA (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the strongest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Excellence
Their threat from set-pieces is well known, but rival sides still don't know how to neutralize the Gunners from these chances.
They have notched 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 daunting aura. People are just fearful of them and it is excellent to see."
Championship Credentials
What is particularly impressive about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City at home - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they keep winning, their historic competitors are struggling. This marks the initial occasion at this juncture 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 start, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far yielded results in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and boasting the strongest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Clean sheets in three straight Premier League games
- 385 minutes without allowing a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and experts have characterized Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now functioning with confidence and purpose.
