There's little doubt why Arsenal stand as numerous fans' preferred choice to win the Premier League in the current campaign.
Look at their results against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches last season.
The Gunners have defeated all of them in the current season, but dropped 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Backline
Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to ultimately achieve their title ambition.
They rank top for shutouts (6), shots let in (3), opposition efforts (72), shots on target faced (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the strongest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Excellence
Their threat from set-pieces is well known, but rival sides still find it difficult to neutralize the Gunners from these situations.
They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional than any other side, with 69% of their goals originating from these situations.
"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just fearful of them and it is wonderful to see."
Title Potential
What is particularly impressive about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City on home turf - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their long-standing opponents are struggling. 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 beginning, having spent around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in search of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far yielded results in style, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and having the tightest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Unbreached games in three straight Premier League games
- 385 minutes without letting in a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across various contests
Former players and experts have described Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now performing with confidence and purpose.
