It's obvious why Arsenal are now many people's favorites to win the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their results against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches last season.
The Gunners have overcome all of them this time around, but lost 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race in the prior campaign.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's defensive strength is a primary factor why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They rank top for unbreached games (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 best in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Mastery
Their danger from dead balls is well known, but opposition teams still struggle to neutralize the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional 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 afraid of them and it is great to see."
Title Potential
What is especially notable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City on home turf - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their traditional rivals aren't faring so well. 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 scrutiny was on manager Mikel Arteta at the start, having invested around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in search of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the business has so far paid off in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the strongest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Unbreached games in three consecutive Premier League games
- 385 minutes without allowing a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and experts have characterized Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now functioning with confidence and determination.
