'People are afraid' - the reasons 'powerhouse' Arsenal have become the side to defeat.
It's evident why Arsenal have become numerous fans' favorites to win the Premier League this season.
Examine their results against West Ham and Crystal Palace versus those equivalent 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 in the prior campaign.
Impenetrable Defense
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are appearing strong to at last realize their title ambition.
They lead the league for shutouts (6), goals allowed (3), opposition efforts (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the finest in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Dead-Ball Dominance
Their threat from set-pieces is well known, but opposition teams still find it difficult to contain 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 excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a intimidation presence. People are just fearful of them and it is great to see."
Title Credentials
What is especially remarkable about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still four points clear at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their long-standing opponents aren't faring so well. This marks the first time 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 manager Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having invested around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in search of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far yielded results in impressive fashion, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and having the strongest defense, despite multiple injuries.
- Shutouts 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 various contests
Former players and pundits have labeled Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now performing with conviction and determination.
