It's evident why Arsenal stand as countless pundits' favorites to secure the Premier League during this term.
Consider their performances against West Ham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those identical matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have overcome all of them this time around, but dropped 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race previously.
Defensive Prowess
Arsenal's defensive strength is a primary factor why they are looking well positioned to ultimately achieve their title ambition.
They stand first for clean sheets (6), shots let in (3), attempts against (72), quality opportunities against (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the strongest in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Proficiency
Their effectiveness from free kicks is highly documented, but opposition teams still struggle to neutralize 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 resulting from these situations.
"Arsenal can excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just fearful of them and it is excellent to see."
Title Claims
What is even more remarkable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they keep winning, 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 expectations was on boss Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that long-awaited 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 tightest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Unbreached games in three straight Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without letting in a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across various contests
Former players and analysts have characterized Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now performing with conviction and determination.
