But Arsenal have had the best defence in the last two seasons and still finished second, so what’s potentially different this time around?
While it’s still early days, we’re not just looking at them having the best defence this season but one of the best in any Premier League campaign.
Their current rate of conceding just 0.38 goals per game means if they were to maintain that for the whole season, they would let in just 14 and break the incredible record of 15 set by Jose Mourinho’s title-winning Chelsea side in 2004-05.
In fact, at their current rate of scoring 1.88 goals per game, Mikel Arteta’s men are on course to almost exactly mirror that remarkable team, potentially scoring 71 times and conceding 14, compared to Chelsea’s tally of 72 and 15.
That would mean Arsenal scoring two more than the 69 last season, but conceding an incredible 20 goals fewer than the 34 last time out.
Since Premier League winners on average have scored 84 goals and conceded 32 in a 38-game season, their current form would make them one of the more immovable, rather than unstoppable, champions in history.