'People are fearful' - the reasons 'powerhouse' Arsenal are the squad everyone fears.
It's clear why Arsenal are now many people's top picks to secure the Premier League during this term.
Look at their results against Newcastle and Crystal Palace compared to those same matches in the previous campaign.
The Gunners have overcome all of them in the current season, but dropped 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race last season.
Impenetrable Backline
Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are seeming ready to ultimately achieve their title target.
They lead the league for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), shots faced (72), shots on target faced (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3).
The center-back duo 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 Proficiency
Their danger from dead balls is well known, but competing clubs still find it difficult to contain the Gunners from these opportunities.
They have registered 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 perform multiple roles now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just wary of them and it is excellent to see."
Championship Pedigree
What is especially remarkable about Arsenal's start 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 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 point of the season since 1992 that none of Manchester City and United, Liverpool or Chelsea are in the Premier League top four.
The pressure was on boss Mikel Arteta at the outset, having allocated around ÂŁ250m on eight summer additions in search of that long-awaited first title since 2004.
But the spending has so far yielded results in remarkable manner, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the tightest defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Unbreached games in each of their last three Premier League games
- 385 minutes without letting in a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and pundits have characterized Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now functioning with conviction and determination.
