It's obvious why Arsenal have become numerous fans' top picks to win the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their performances against Newcastle and Crystal Palace in contrast with those same matches in the previous campaign.
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 in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Rearguard
Arsenal's backline resilience is a key reason why they are appearing strong to at last realize their title target.
They rank top for clean sheets (6), goals conceded (3), opposition efforts (72), shots on target faced (19) and expected goals against (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the strongest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Proficiency
Their danger from dead balls is widely recognized, but rival sides still don't know how to stop the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have registered 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 do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just afraid of them and it is great to see."
Championship Credentials
What is especially remarkable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still ahead by four points 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 expectations was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the start, having invested around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in quest of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the business has so far yielded results in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and possessing the strongest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Unbreached games in each of their last three Premier League games
- Over six hours without allowing a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and analysts have characterized Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now operating with confidence and purpose.
