There's no doubt why Arsenal have become countless pundits' preferred choice to win the Premier League in the current campaign.
Consider their results against Fulham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those same matches last season.
The Gunners have overcome all of them in the current season, but dropped 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race last season.
Impenetrable Rearguard
Arsenal's defensive solidity is a key reason why they are looking well positioned to at last realize their title ambition.
They lead the league for shutouts (6), shots let in (3), attempts against (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the best in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Mastery
Their danger from dead balls is highly documented, but rival sides still don't know how to neutralize 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 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."
Championship Claims
What is especially impressive about Arsenal's commencement 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 four points clear at the top.
While they maintain victories, their traditional rivals aren't faring so well. 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 scrutiny was on manager Mikel Arteta at the start, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions in search of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far paid off in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and possessing the strongest defense, despite several injuries.
- Shutouts in each of their last three Premier League games
- 385 minutes without conceding a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and analysts have labeled Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now functioning with belief and purpose.