There's little doubt why Arsenal stand as countless pundits' top picks to secure the Premier League during this term.
Look at their performances against Newcastle and Crystal Palace in contrast with those identical matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have overcome all of them in the current season, but dropped 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Defense
Arsenal's backline resilience is a key reason why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title target.
They rank top for unbreached games (6), shots let in (3), shots faced (72), quality opportunities against (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the strongest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Excellence
Their effectiveness from free kicks is widely recognized, but opposition teams still don't know how to neutralize the Gunners from these situations.
They have notched 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 wonderful to see."
Championship Credentials
What is especially remarkable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City at home - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they keep winning, their historic competitors 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 beginning, having invested around £250m on eight summer signings in pursuit of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far proven successful in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and boasting the strongest defense, despite several injuries.
- Shutouts in each of their last three Premier League games
- 385 minutes without letting in a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and experts have labeled Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now performing with conviction and purpose.
