'People are afraid' - the reasons 'juggernaut' Arsenal have become the squad everyone fears.
The evidence is undeniable why Arsenal stand as many people's favorites to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.
Look at their results against Newcastle and Crystal Palace versus those same matches last season.
The Gunners have overcome all of them this time around, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race previously.
Defensive Strength
Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are appearing strong to ultimately achieve their title ambition.
They lead the league for shutouts (6), goals allowed (3), shots faced (72), dangerous chances allowed (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the best 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 widely recognized, 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, a couple extra 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 excellent to see."
Championship Claims
What is even more remarkable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City at home - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they maintain victories, their traditional rivals are struggling. 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 expectations was on boss Mikel Arteta at the start, having spent around £250m on eight summer additions in search of that coveted first title since 2004.
But the business has so far proven successful in style, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the strongest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Shutouts in three consecutive Premier League games
- Over six hours without allowing a goal
- Only a trio of goals in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and experts have characterized Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now performing with belief and resolve.
