Four points clear atop the Premier League table approaching November isn’t something new for Arsenal in the Mikel Arteta era.
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They’ve had fast starts to the season and huge leads at the top of the table heading into January, and even later in the season, before.
But it feels different this time.
Arsenal don’t seem capable of beating themselves or imploding. They’re rock solid. They have much better cover for injuries to key players. Everything is heading in the right direction and other factors are also playing into their hands.
Manchester City no longer look dominant, Liverpool have hit a disastrous run of form which will likely derail their bid at a repeat and other title outsiders like Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and dare I say Manchester United, all have glaring flaws.
After nine games Arsenal already sit six points clear of Man City and seven clear of Liverpool, with upstarts Bournemouth and Sunderland unlikely to mount a serious challenge for the title.
The Gunners haven’t even had to be that good. Yet. They’re not doing anything silly and they already look so far ahead of their main rivals as key injuries haven’t derailed them thanks to a summer of sensible, targeted spending.
This title is very clearly Arsenal’s to lose, and three-straight second place finishes underlines why they are favorites: they aren’t afraid of failing anymore.
Painful runners-up finishes fuel this side
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Many will say this Arteta side should have won the title at least once over the last few years as late-season collapses cost them dear. And many would be right, as both Liverpool and Manchester City put in incredible, otherworldly performances to stop them.
The majority of this squad has been through tough experiences over the last few years and the pressure of a title race doesn’t faze them.
It fuels them and painful past experiences seem to have actually relieved any kind of fear.
Add that inner fuel to Arsenal’s incredible defensive ruthlessness (just three goals conceded through nine games), unreal efficiency from set-piece situations and basically all of their new signings hitting the ground running right away, and this is a perfect recipe for success.
Of course, it’s still early. They have a grueling run of games coming up in the Premier League and Champions League in late November which will tell us a lot more about where they are at: Spurs at home, Bayern Munich at home and Chelsea away in the space of seven days. But it seems like everything has aligned for Arsenal.
The stars have aligned for Arsenal to win the league
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We can make comparisons galore to the situation Arsenal are in compared to the one they’ve been in under Arteta in recent years but quite simply this feels different. They don’t feel like chucking away a lead when they go ahead. It always feels like they will grab a point, at least, from a losing position.
It didn’t feel like that last season as they drew 14 games and came up way short in the title race as injuries played their part. Again. But this is different. This is the kind of team Arteta has been building towards over the last few years as the squad is deeper, more resilient and has a wonderful balance about it.
Not only have Arsenal now blossomed into what they want to become, it has also coincided with their main rivals Manchester City and Liverpool struggling and not being the best version of themselves as they oversee overhauls.
It’s still early in the season but the feeling is very clear: the title is Arsenal’s to lose.