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

Examine their results against West Ham and Crystal Palace in contrast with those same matches during the prior term.

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

Defensive Dominance

Arsenal's defensive solidity is a primary factor why they are seeming ready to at last realize their title target.

They stand first for clean sheets (6), shots let in (3), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).

The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the best in the league, with Arsenal maintaining a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.

Set-Piece Mastery

Their danger from dead balls is well known, but opposition teams still struggle to contain the Gunners from these opportunities.

They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, several additional than any other side, with 69% of their goals originating from these situations.

"Arsenal can perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a daunting aura. People are just wary of them and it is excellent to see."

Title Potential

What is even more impressive about Arsenal's start to the campaign is they have also played Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City at home - and are still leading by four at the top.

While they maintain victories, their long-standing opponents are struggling. This marks the initial occasion 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 manager Mikel Arteta at the outset, having allocated around £250m on eight summer additions in pursuit of that long-awaited first title since 2004.

But the business has so far proven successful in impressive fashion, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and having the strongest defense, despite multiple injuries.

• Unbreached games in each of their last three Premier League games
• Over six hours without letting in a goal
• Only a trio of goals in 12 games across all competitions

Former players and pundits have labeled Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now performing with confidence and resolve.