There's no doubt why Arsenal have become many people's preferred choice to secure the Premier League in the current campaign.
Look at their performances against West Ham and Crystal Palace versus those identical matches last season.
The Gunners have beaten all of them this time around, but dropped 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race previously.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's defensive strength is a key reason why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title target.
They lead the league for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), dangerous chances allowed (19) and xGA (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the finest in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Proficiency
Their effectiveness from free kicks is highly documented, but competing clubs still don't know how to contain the Gunners from these situations.
They have scored 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 excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just afraid of them and it is wonderful to see."
Title Credentials
What is especially notable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City on home turf - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they keep winning, their long-standing opponents face difficulties. This marks the initial occasion at this juncture 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 manager Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the business has so far proven successful in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the strongest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Unbreached games in three consecutive Premier League games
- 385 minutes without letting in a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across various contests
Former players and pundits have labeled Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now operating with conviction and purpose.
