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There's little doubt why Arsenal are now countless pundits' favorites to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.

Look at their performances against Newcastle and Crystal Palace in contrast with those identical matches during the prior term.

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

Defensive Strength

Arsenal's defensive strength is a crucial element why they are looking well positioned to at last realize their title ambition.

They rank top for unbreached games (6), shots let in (3), shots faced (72), quality opportunities against (19) and expected goals against (5.3).

The central defensive pairing 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.

Set-Piece Expertise

Their danger from dead balls is widely recognized, but rival sides still find it difficult to contain the Gunners from these opportunities.

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 daunting aura. People are just wary of them and it is wonderful to see."

Championship Pedigree

What is particularly notable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also played 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 are struggling. This marks the premier instance 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 start, having allocated around £250m on eight summer signings in quest of that elusive first title since 2004.

But the spending has so far proven successful in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the strongest defense, despite several injuries.

• Shutouts in three consecutive Premier League games
• Nearly 6.5 hours without conceding a goal
• Only a trio of goals in 12 games across every tournament

Former players and experts have described Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with confidence and determination.