There's little doubt why Arsenal stand as countless pundits' favorites to win the Premier League this season.
Look at their performances against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those same matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have overcome all of them in the current season, but lost 10 points across those games as they dropped off 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 at last realize their title target.
They lead the league for clean sheets (6), goals conceded (3), opposition efforts (72), shots on target faced (19) and xGA (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the strongest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Mastery
Their effectiveness from free kicks is widely recognized, but rival sides still struggle to neutralize 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 fearful of them and it is wonderful to see."
Championship Credentials
What is even more impressive about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they maintain victories, their historic competitors face difficulties. 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 boss Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having allocated around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in search of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the business has so far yielded results in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and boasting the most resilient defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Clean sheets in each of their last three Premier League games
- Over six hours without conceding a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across various contests
Former players and pundits have described Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now performing with confidence and purpose.
