There's little doubt why Arsenal have become countless pundits' top picks to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their results against Newcastle and Crystal Palace in contrast with those equivalent matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have overcome all of them in the current season, but lost 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race previously.
Defensive Dominance
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are looking well positioned to finally fulfil their title goal.
They rank top for unbreached games (6), goals conceded (3), opposition efforts (72), dangerous chances allowed (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the finest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Mastery
Their effectiveness from free kicks is well known, but rival sides still find it difficult to contain 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 originating from these situations.
"Arsenal can do a bit of everything 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 impressive about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City on home turf - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they keep winning, their historic competitors 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 head coach Mikel Arteta at the start, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far proven successful in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the strongest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Unbreached games in each of their last three Premier League games
- 385 minutes without letting in a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and experts have labeled Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now functioning with conviction and purpose.
