'People are fearful' - the reasons 'powerhouse' Arsenal have become the squad everyone fears.
There's no doubt why Arsenal are now countless pundits' top picks to secure the Premier League during this term.
Consider their results against Newcastle and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have overcome all of them during this campaign, but lost 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Defense
Arsenal's defensive strength is a crucial element why they are looking well positioned to finally fulfil their title ambition.
They lead the league for clean sheets (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), shots on target faced (19) and xGA (5.3).
The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the best in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Dominance
Their effectiveness from free kicks is highly documented, but opposition teams still find it difficult to contain the Gunners from these situations.
They have scored 11 times from set-pieces in the league, a couple extra than any other side, with 69% of their goals originating from these situations.
"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just wary of them and it is wonderful to see."
Title Claims
What is even more notable about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City at home - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their long-standing opponents aren't faring so well. 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 head coach Mikel Arteta at the outset, having allocated around £250m on eight summer signings in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the business has so far proven successful in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the tightest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Clean sheets in each of their last three Premier League games
- Over six hours without allowing a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and analysts have characterized Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now operating with confidence and purpose.
