🔗 Share this article 'People are afraid' - the reasons 'powerhouse' Arsenal are the team to beat. Gabriel Magalhaes marks Arsenal's win over Crystal Palace The evidence is unmistakable why Arsenal are now countless pundits' favorites to claim the Premier League in the current campaign. Examine their outcomes against Newcastle and Crystal Palace compared to those equivalent matches last season. 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 Backline Arsenal's backline resilience is a primary factor why they are looking well positioned to ultimately achieve their title ambition. They rank top for clean sheets (6), goals conceded (3), opposition efforts (72), quality opportunities against (19) and expected goals against (5.3). The central defensive pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba is possibly the strongest in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games. Dead-Ball Excellence Their danger from dead balls is widely recognized, but rival sides still find it difficult to stop the Gunners from these situations. They have registered 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 intimidation presence. People are just fearful of them and it is wonderful to see." Championship Pedigree What is especially impressive about Arsenal's commencement to the campaign is they have also faced 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 keep winning, 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 head coach Mikel Arteta at the outset, having spent around £250m on eight summer signings in pursuit of that coveted first title since 2004. But the spending has so far yielded results in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the tightest defense, despite numerous injuries. Clean sheets in each of their last three Premier League games 385 minutes without allowing a goal Only a trio of goals in 12 games across all competitions Former players and analysts have labeled Arteta's men as a "powerhouse, looking difficult to stop" with the whole club now functioning with conviction and determination.