There's no doubt why Arsenal are now many people's preferred choice to claim the Premier League this season.
Look at their outcomes against Newcastle and Crystal Palace versus those identical matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have beaten all of them this time around, but lost 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race last season.
Impenetrable Backline
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are looking well positioned to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They stand first for unbreached games (6), goals conceded (3), attempts against (72), quality opportunities against (19) and xGA (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 opposition teams still struggle to stop the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have registered 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 do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just fearful of them and it is great to see."
Title Claims
What is especially notable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City at home - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they maintain victories, their long-standing opponents are struggling. 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 scrutiny was on boss Mikel Arteta at the start, having allocated around £250m on eight summer signings in quest of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the business has so far proven successful in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the strongest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Shutouts in three straight Premier League games
- Over six hours without conceding a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and experts have characterized Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now functioning with conviction and purpose.
