It's clear why Arsenal stand as many people's top picks to win the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their outcomes against West Ham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those same matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have beaten all of them this time around, but dropped 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race in the prior campaign.
Defensive Dominance
Arsenal's defensive strength is a primary factor why they are looking well positioned to finally fulfil their title goal.
They rank top for clean sheets (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), quality opportunities against (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the strongest in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Superiority
Their threat from set-pieces is highly documented, but competing clubs still find it difficult to contain the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have scored 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 afraid of them and it is great to see."
Title Potential
What is particularly remarkable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City at home - 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 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 invested around £250m on eight summer signings in search of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far yielded results in style, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and possessing the tightest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Clean sheets in three straight Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without allowing a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and experts have characterized Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now performing with conviction and purpose.
