The evidence is undeniable why Arsenal stand as many people's favorites to win the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their performances against Newcastle and Crystal Palace versus those same matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have beaten all of them in the current season, but dropped 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race last season.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's defensive strength is a primary factor why they are appearing strong to ultimately achieve their title target.
They stand first for unbreached games (6), goals conceded (3), opposition efforts (72), quality opportunities against (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the finest in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Proficiency
Their threat from set-pieces is well known, but competing clubs still struggle to contain the Gunners from these situations.
They have registered 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 do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just wary of them and it is wonderful to see."
Title Potential
What is especially remarkable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also faced 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 historic competitors face difficulties. This marks the initial occasion 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 head coach 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 investment has so far yielded results in style, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and boasting the most resilient defense, despite several injuries.
- Clean sheets in each of their last three Premier League games
- 385 minutes without conceding a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across various contests
Former players and pundits have described Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now performing with conviction and resolve.
