🔗 Share this article

There's no doubt why Arsenal are now many people's preferred choice to win the Premier League in the current campaign.

Examine their performances against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those same matches last season.

The Gunners have overcome all of them this time around, but dropped 10 points across those games as they dropped off in the title race in the prior campaign.

Defensive Dominance

Arsenal's backline resilience is a key reason why they are looking well positioned to ultimately achieve their title ambition.

They stand first for clean sheets (6), shots let in (3), opposition efforts (72), dangerous chances allowed (19) and expected goals against (5.3).

The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the best in the league, with Arsenal recording 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 find it difficult to neutralize 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 resulting from these situations.

"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just afraid of them and it is great to see."

Championship Claims

What is even more impressive about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City on home turf - and are still leading by four at the top.

While they maintain victories, their traditional rivals aren't faring so well. This marks the premier instance at this point 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 boss Mikel Arteta at the start, having spent around £250m on eight summer signings in quest of that coveted first title since 2004.

But the business has so far proven successful in style, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and having the most resilient defense, despite several injuries.

• Clean sheets in each of their last three Premier League games
• Over six hours without conceding a goal
• Only a trio of goals in 12 games across various contests

Former players and experts have characterized Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now operating with conviction and purpose.