It's evident why Arsenal are now countless pundits' top picks to claim the Premier League during this term.
Look at their performances against Fulham and Crystal Palace versus those same matches last season.
The Gunners have overcome all of them in the current season, but dropped 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race in the prior campaign.
Defensive Prowess
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title goal.
They lead the league for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The defensive partnership 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.
Dead-Ball Superiority
Their danger from dead balls is widely recognized, but competing clubs still find it difficult to stop the Gunners from these situations.
They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, two more than any other side, with 69% of their goals resulting 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."
Title Claims
What is even more notable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their historic competitors aren't faring so well. This marks the premier instance 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 boss Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having spent around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in quest of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far yielded results in impressive fashion, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and boasting the strongest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Unbreached games in each of their last three Premier League games
- 385 minutes without letting in a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and pundits have described Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now performing with conviction and purpose.
