It's evident why Arsenal have become many people's top picks to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.
Examine their performances against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those same matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have beaten all of them during this campaign, but lost 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race previously.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's defensive strength is a primary factor why they are looking well positioned to ultimately achieve their title ambition.
They rank top for unbreached games (6), goals conceded (3), attempts against (72), quality opportunities against (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the best in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Excellence
Their threat from set-pieces is well known, but opposition teams still don't know how to contain the Gunners from these situations.
They have registered 11 times from set-pieces in the league, two more 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 intimidation presence. People are just wary of them and it is excellent to see."
Title Credentials
What is particularly impressive about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still leading by four at the top.
While they maintain victories, their traditional rivals are struggling. This marks the initial occasion 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 expectations was on boss Mikel Arteta at the start, having allocated around £250m on eight summer signings in quest of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far paid off in style, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and having the most resilient defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Shutouts in three straight Premier League games
- Nearly 6.5 hours without letting in a goal
- Only three goals in 12 games across every tournament
Former players and experts have described Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now performing with belief and resolve.
