'People are intimidated' - why 'juggernaut' Arsenal have become the squad everyone fears.
There's little doubt why Arsenal have become numerous fans' preferred choice to claim the Premier League in the current campaign.
Look at their outcomes against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those identical matches during the prior term.
The Gunners have beaten all of them during this campaign, but lost 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race previously.
Defensive Prowess
Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are seeming ready to at last realize their title target.
They lead the league for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), opposition efforts (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 keeping a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.
Set-Piece Expertise
Their effectiveness from free kicks is highly documented, but opposition teams still don't know how to neutralize 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 do a bit of everything now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just afraid of them and it is wonderful to see."
Championship Pedigree
What is particularly impressive about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United at opposition grounds and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still ahead by four points at the top.
While they continue triumphing, their traditional rivals aren't faring so well. This marks the premier instance 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 boss Mikel Arteta at the outset, having allocated around £250m on eight summer signings in search of that elusive first title since 2004.
But the investment has so far yielded results in impressive fashion, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and having the most resilient defense, despite numerous injuries.
- Unbreached games in three consecutive Premier League games
- Over six hours without conceding a goal
- Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across all competitions
Former players and analysts have labeled Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with belief and determination.
