It's clear why Arsenal stand as many people's preferred choice to secure the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their outcomes against Newcastle and Crystal Palace in contrast with those identical matches last season.
The Gunners have beaten all of them in the current season, but dropped 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race last season.
Defensive Dominance
Arsenal's defensive strength is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to ultimately achieve their title ambition.
They lead the league for clean sheets (6), shots let in (3), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially 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 find it difficult to neutralize the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, two more than any other side, with 69% of their goals coming from these situations.
"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just fearful of them and it is wonderful to see."
Title Potential
What is especially impressive about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also encountered 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 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 beginning, having spent around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far yielded results in remarkable manner, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and having the tightest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Clean sheets in three straight Premier League games
- 385 minutes without allowing a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and pundits have characterized Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with belief and determination.
