🔗 Share this article 'People are intimidated' - why 'powerhouse' Arsenal are the squad everyone fears. Gabriel Magalhaes marks Arsenal's win over Crystal Palace The evidence is undeniable why Arsenal are now many people's favorites to secure the Premier League this season. Consider their performances against Fulham and Crystal Palace compared to those equivalent matches last season. The Gunners have defeated all of them during this campaign, but surrendered 10 points across those games as they faded in the title race in the prior campaign. Defensive Strength Arsenal's backline resilience is a key reason why they are looking well positioned to finally fulfil their title target. They rank top for unbreached games (6), goals allowed (3), attempts against (72), shots on target faced (19) and xGA (5.3). The center-back duo of Gabriel and William Saliba is potentially the best in the league, with Arsenal recording a clean sheet in six of their first nine games. Set-Piece Mastery Their threat from set-pieces is widely recognized, but opposition teams still find it difficult to stop the Gunners from these opportunities. They have notched 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 afraid of them and it is excellent to see." Championship Pedigree What is even more remarkable about Arsenal's beginning to the campaign is they have also encountered Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United away from home and Manchester City on home turf - and are still ahead by four points at the top. While they keep winning, their long-standing opponents aren't faring so well. This marks the first time 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 outset, having invested around £250m on eight summer additions in search of that long-awaited first title since 2004. But the business has so far proven successful in remarkable manner, with his side among the highest scorers in the league and having the tightest defense, despite several injuries. Clean sheets in each of their last three Premier League games Over six hours without allowing a goal Only a trio of goals in 12 games across every tournament Former players and experts have characterized Arteta's men as a "juggernaut, looking challenging to stop" with the whole club now operating with conviction and purpose.