The evidence is undeniable why Arsenal stand as many people's top picks to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.
Examine their outcomes against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those same 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 in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Rearguard
Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are looking well positioned to at last realize their title target.
They stand first for shutouts (6), goals allowed (3), opposition efforts (72), quality opportunities against (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the strongest in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Proficiency
Their danger from dead balls is well known, but competing clubs still struggle to contain 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 excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just fearful of them and it is great to see."
Championship Claims
What is particularly impressive about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City at home - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their long-standing opponents 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 outset, having spent around £250m on eight summer signings in pursuit of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the business has so far yielded results in remarkable manner, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the strongest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Unbreached games in each of their last three Premier League games
- Over six hours without allowing a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and experts have labeled Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now performing with confidence and purpose.
