There's little doubt why Arsenal have become many people's preferred choice to win the Premier League this season.
Consider their performances against West Ham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those same matches last season.
The Gunners have defeated all of them this time around, but lost 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race previously.
Impenetrable Defense
Arsenal's defensive solidity is a primary factor why they are appearing strong to ultimately achieve their title ambition.
They rank top for unbreached games (6), shots let in (3), opposition efforts (72), quality opportunities against (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the best in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Proficiency
Their threat from set-pieces is well known, but opposition teams still don't know how to contain the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have scored 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 excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just afraid of them and it is great to see."
Title Claims
What is particularly remarkable 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 ahead by four points at the top.
While they continue triumphing, 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 expectations was on boss Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having spent around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in search of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far yielded results in remarkable manner, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and possessing the tightest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Unbreached games in each of their last three Premier League games
- Over six hours without letting in a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and analysts have characterized Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now performing with conviction and determination.
