There's little doubt why Arsenal have become countless pundits' top picks to secure the Premier League during this term.
Consider their performances against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those equivalent matches last season.
The Gunners have beaten all of them during this campaign, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Backline
Arsenal's defensive strength is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to ultimately achieve their title ambition.
They stand first for unbreached games (6), goals conceded (3), opposition efforts (72), quality opportunities against (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the finest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Mastery
Their threat from set-pieces is highly documented, but rival sides still find it difficult to contain the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, a couple extra 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 wary of them and it is excellent to see."
Title Claims
What is especially notable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they maintain victories, their long-standing opponents aren't faring so well. This marks the premier instance at this point of the season since 1992 that none of Manchester City and United, Liverpool or Chelsea are in the Premier League top four.
The pressure was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the start, having spent around £250m on eight summer signings in pursuit of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the business has so far yielded results in style, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and possessing the most resilient defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Unbreached games in three straight Premier League games
- Over six hours without letting in a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and pundits have characterized Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now functioning with confidence and purpose.
