It's clear why Arsenal stand as countless pundits' favorites to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.
Look at their results against West Ham and Crystal Palace versus those identical matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have overcome all of them in the current season, but dropped 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Defense
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are seeming ready to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They rank top for shutouts (6), goals allowed (3), opposition efforts (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly 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 widely recognized, but rival sides still don't know how to neutralize the Gunners from these situations.
They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional than any other side, with 69% of their goals resulting from these situations.
"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a daunting aura. People are just wary of them and it is excellent to see."
Championship Credentials
What is particularly notable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also faced 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 continue triumphing, their historic competitors are struggling. This marks the first time 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 head coach Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having allocated around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in search of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far paid off in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and possessing the strongest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Shutouts in each of their last three Premier League games
- 385 minutes without conceding a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across various contests
Former players and experts have characterized Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now functioning with conviction and determination.
