It's evident why Arsenal have become countless pundits' preferred choice to win the Premier League during this term.
Look at their performances against Fulham and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches last season.
The Gunners have overcome all of them in the current season, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race last season.
Impenetrable Backline
Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are seeming ready to finally fulfil their title goal.
They lead the league for clean sheets (6), goals conceded (3), attempts against (72), dangerous chances allowed (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the strongest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Dominance
Their threat from set-pieces is widely recognized, but opposition teams still struggle to contain the Gunners from these situations.
They have notched 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 do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just fearful of them and it is wonderful to see."
Title Claims
What is even more remarkable about Arsenal's commencement 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 four points clear at the top.
While they maintain victories, their traditional rivals aren't faring so well. This marks the premier instance 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 scrutiny was on boss Mikel Arteta at the outset, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far proven successful in impressive fashion, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and having the strongest defense, despite several injuries.
- Unbreached games in three consecutive Premier League games
- 385 minutes without conceding a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and pundits have characterized Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now operating with confidence and purpose.
