There's no doubt why Arsenal have become many people's favorites to secure the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their outcomes against Newcastle and Crystal Palace compared to those same matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have overcome all of them in the current season, but dropped 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race previously.
Impenetrable Defense
Arsenal's defensive strength is a key reason why they are seeming ready to ultimately achieve their title ambition.
They rank top for unbreached games (6), shots let in (3), attempts against (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the strongest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Excellence
Their danger from dead balls is highly documented, but opposition teams still struggle to neutralize the Gunners from these chances.
They have notched 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 daunting aura. People are just afraid of them and it is great to see."
Title Claims
What is especially notable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also faced 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 keep winning, their traditional rivals face difficulties. This marks the initial occasion 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 scrutiny was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the start, having allocated around £250m on eight summer signings in search of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far yielded results in style, 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
- Nearly 6.5 hours without conceding a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and pundits have labeled Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now performing with belief and resolve.
