There's no doubt why Arsenal stand as countless pundits' preferred choice to secure the Premier League in the current campaign.
Examine their results against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those equivalent matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have beaten all of them this time around, but lost 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race in the prior campaign.
Defensive Dominance
Arsenal's defensive strength is a crucial element why they are looking well positioned to at last realize their title target.
They lead the league for shutouts (6), goals conceded (3), opposition efforts (72), dangerous chances allowed (19) and xGA (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the finest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Mastery
Their danger from dead balls is well known, but competing clubs still don't know how to stop 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 resulting from these situations.
"Arsenal can excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just afraid of them and it is wonderful to see."
Championship Credentials
What is particularly notable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City at home - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their historic competitors are struggling. 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 start, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions in quest of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far yielded results in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the strongest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Clean sheets in each of their last three Premier League games
- 385 minutes without allowing a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across various contests
Former players and analysts have labeled Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now functioning with confidence and purpose.
