It's obvious why Arsenal stand as countless pundits' favorites to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.
Look at their performances against Newcastle and Crystal Palace versus those identical matches last season.
The Gunners have defeated all of them this time around, but dropped 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race last season.
Impenetrable Rearguard
Arsenal's backline resilience is a key reason why they are looking well positioned to finally fulfil their title target.
They lead the league for shutouts (6), goals conceded (3), opposition efforts (72), shots on target faced (19) and xGA (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the best in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Mastery
Their danger from dead balls is highly documented, but competing clubs still struggle to contain the Gunners from these chances.
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 perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just afraid of them and it is excellent to see."
Title Claims
What is particularly remarkable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City on home turf - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they maintain victories, their traditional rivals face difficulties. This marks the initial occasion 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 scrutiny was on boss Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having allocated around £250m on eight summer additions in search of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the business has so far yielded results in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the strongest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Shutouts in each of their last three Premier League games
- Over six hours without allowing a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and analysts have labeled Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now performing with conviction and determination.
