It's evident why Arsenal have become countless pundits' preferred choice to secure the Premier League in the current campaign.
Look at their performances against Fulham and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches last season.
The Gunners have defeated all of them during this campaign, but lost 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race in the prior campaign.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's defensive strength is a primary factor why they are seeming ready to at last realize their title ambition.
They rank top for shutouts (6), goals allowed (3), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the strongest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Mastery
Their threat from set-pieces is well known, but competing clubs still don't know how to stop 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 coming 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 excellent to see."
Championship Credentials
What is particularly impressive about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City at home - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they maintain victories, their long-standing opponents face difficulties. This marks the premier instance at this stage 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 start, having allocated around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in quest of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far proven successful in remarkable manner, with his side second top scorers in the league and possessing the tightest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Clean sheets in three consecutive Premier League games
- 385 minutes without conceding a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and analysts have described Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now operating with conviction and determination.
