It's obvious why Arsenal stand as numerous fans' preferred choice to claim the Premier League during this term.
Consider their outcomes against Newcastle and Crystal Palace compared to those same matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have defeated all of them during this campaign, but lost 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race previously.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's defensive strength is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to ultimately achieve their title goal.
They lead the league for unbreached games (6), goals conceded (3), attempts against (72), quality opportunities against (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the strongest in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Dominance
Their effectiveness from free kicks is highly documented, but competing clubs still don't know how to neutralize 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 intimidation presence. People are just fearful of them and it is wonderful to see."
Championship Credentials
What is especially remarkable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City at home - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they maintain victories, their traditional rivals aren't faring so well. This marks the first time 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 beginning, having allocated around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in search of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the business has so far yielded results in style, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and possessing the strongest defense, despite several injuries.
- Clean sheets in each of their last three Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without conceding a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across various contests
Former players and experts have labeled Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now operating with confidence and purpose.
