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There's little doubt why Arsenal are now many people's top picks to win the Premier League in the current campaign.

Look at their results against Newcastle and Crystal Palace in contrast with those equivalent matches in the previous campaign.

The Gunners have defeated all of them in the current season, but dropped 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race in the prior campaign.

Impenetrable Rearguard

Arsenal's defensive strength is a key reason why they are seeming ready to at last realize their title ambition.

They stand first for shutouts (6), goals allowed (3), shots faced (72), quality opportunities against (19) and xGA (5.3).

The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the finest in the league, with Arsenal keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.

Set-Piece Expertise

Their danger from dead balls is widely recognized, but competing clubs still don't know how to neutralize the Gunners from these chances.

They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional 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 fearful of them and it is excellent 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 on the road and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still four points clear at the top.

While they maintain victories, their historic competitors are struggling. 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 scrutiny was on boss Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having allocated around £250m on eight summer additions in quest of that coveted 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 boasting the strongest defense, despite several injuries.

• Unbreached games in each of their last three Premier League games
• Over six hours without allowing a goal
• Only three goals in 12 games across various contests

Former players and pundits have characterized Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now operating with belief and purpose.