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

Consider their outcomes against Fulham and Crystal Palace versus those equivalent matches in the previous campaign.

The Gunners have defeated all of them during this campaign, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race in the prior campaign.

Defensive Prowess

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

They rank top for clean sheets (6), goals allowed (3), opposition efforts (72), quality opportunities against (19) and expected goals against (5.3).

The central defensive pairing 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 Proficiency

Their danger from dead balls is highly documented, but rival sides still find it difficult to neutralize the Gunners from these chances.

They have notched 11 times from set-pieces in the league, a couple extra than any other side, with 69% of their goals coming from these situations.

"Arsenal can excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a daunting aura. People are just fearful of them and it is great to see."

Title Credentials

What is even more remarkable 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 face difficulties. 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 beginning, having invested around £250m on eight summer signings in search of that long-awaited first title since 2004.

But the spending has so far yielded results in style, with his side one of the most prolific attacks in the league and possessing the strongest defense, despite several injuries.

• Shutouts in three straight Premier League games
• Over six hours without allowing a goal
• Only a trio of goals in 12 games across various contests

Former players and pundits have characterized Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now performing with conviction and determination.