It's obvious why Arsenal stand as many people's favorites to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.
Look at their outcomes against Fulham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those identical matches last season.
The Gunners have beaten all of them in the current season, but lost 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 looking well positioned to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They rank top for shutouts (6), goals conceded (3), opposition efforts (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the finest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Superiority
Their threat from set-pieces is highly documented, but opposition teams still struggle to stop the Gunners from these chances.
They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, two more 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 daunting aura. People are just wary of them and it is excellent to see."
Title Claims
What is even more notable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City on home turf - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they keep winning, their traditional rivals are struggling. This marks the first time 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 manager Mikel Arteta at the start, having spent around £250m on eight summer additions in quest of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far yielded results in remarkable manner, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the tightest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Clean sheets in three straight Premier League games
- 385 minutes without letting in a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and experts have described Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now functioning with belief and determination.
