'People are afraid' - the reasons 'juggernaut' Arsenal are the team to beat.

There's little doubt why Arsenal stand as many people's top picks to secure the Premier League in the current campaign.

Examine their results against Newcastle and Crystal Palace versus those identical matches in the previous campaign.

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

Defensive Dominance

Arsenal's backline resilience is a crucial element why they are looking well positioned to at last realize their title target.

They rank top for clean sheets (6), shots let in (3), attempts against (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 recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games.

Set-Piece Expertise

Their effectiveness from free kicks is highly documented, but competing clubs still don't know how to contain the Gunners from these opportunities.

They have scored 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 excel in various aspects now. The whole team has a fear factor. People are just wary of them and it is great to see."

Championship Credentials

What is especially remarkable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also faced Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City on home turf - and are still four points clear at the top.

While they keep winning, their long-standing opponents face difficulties. This marks the initial occasion 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 scrutiny was on head coach Mikel Arteta at the outset, having allocated around £250m on eight summer acquisitions in search of that elusive 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 several injuries.

• Unbreached games in each of their last three Premier League games
• Over six 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 "juggernaut, looking hard to stop" with the whole club now operating with conviction and resolve.