There's no doubt why Arsenal stand as many people's favorites to win the Premier League during this term.
Look at their outcomes against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches last season.
The Gunners have overcome all of them in the current season, but lost 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race last season.
Impenetrable Backline
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are seeming ready to ultimately achieve their title goal.
They stand first for unbreached games (6), shots let in (3), opposition efforts (72), quality opportunities against (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the strongest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Expertise
Their effectiveness from free kicks is widely recognized, but opposition teams still find it difficult to stop the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have registered 11 times from set-pieces in the league, a couple extra 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 intimidation presence. People are just wary of them and it is wonderful to see."
Title Claims
What is particularly remarkable about Arsenal's commencement 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 ahead by four points at the top.
While they keep winning, their long-standing opponents face difficulties. This marks the first time 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 pressure was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having allocated around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in search of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the business has so far yielded results in remarkable manner, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and possessing the strongest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Clean sheets in each of their last three Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without allowing a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across various contests
Former players and analysts have labeled Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now performing with belief and purpose.
