It's clear why Arsenal have become many people's top picks to claim the Premier League this season.
Consider their results against Fulham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those identical matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have beaten all of them this time around, but dropped 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Rearguard
Arsenal's defensive strength is a crucial element why they are seeming ready to ultimately achieve their title goal.
They lead the league for clean sheets (6), shots let in (3), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the best 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 widely recognized, but competing clubs still don't know how to contain the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have registered 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional than any other side, with 69% of their goals resulting from these situations.
"Arsenal can do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just fearful of them and it is excellent to see."
Championship Claims
What is even more 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 in their own stadium - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their long-standing opponents face difficulties. This marks the premier instance at this juncture 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 start, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions in quest of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far yielded results in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and possessing the strongest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Unbreached games in three straight Premier League games
- 385 minutes without allowing a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across various contests
Former players and analysts have described Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with conviction and resolve.
