🔗 Share this article 'People are afraid' - why 'unstoppable force' Arsenal have become the squad everyone fears. Gabriel Magalhaes rejoices Arsenal's triumph over Crystal Palace It's clear why Arsenal have become many people's top picks to secure the Premier League in the current campaign. Consider their outcomes against West Ham and Crystal Palace compared to those same matches during the prior term. The Gunners have overcome all of them during this campaign, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they fell away in the title race last season. Defensive Strength Arsenal's defensive solidity is a key reason why they are appearing strong to finally fulfil their title target. They rank top for shutouts (6), goals allowed (3), shots faced (72), quality opportunities against (19) and anticipated concessions (5.3). The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is arguably the best in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games. Set-Piece Expertise Their danger from dead balls is widely recognized, but rival sides still find it difficult to neutralize 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 resulting from these situations. "Arsenal can excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just fearful of them and it is great to see." Championship Pedigree What is particularly impressive about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United on the road and Manchester City in their own stadium - and are still leading by four at the top. While they maintain victories, their traditional rivals are struggling. This marks the initial occasion 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 pressure was on manager Mikel Arteta at the beginning, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions in search of that elusive first title since 2004. But the business has so far paid off in impressive fashion, with his side second top scorers in the league and having the most resilient defense, despite multiple injuries. Clean sheets in three straight Premier League games Nearly 6.5 hours without allowing a goal Only a handful of concessions in 12 games across all competitions Former players and experts have labeled Arteta's men as a "unstoppable force, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now performing with confidence and resolve.