Arsenal couldn't be doing anything more than they are to create a serious platform for themselves this season. They would also be top of the league at this stage for the past three seasons.
The start is one thing, but questions over consistency and being competitive in multiple competitions is another, and it's a challenge Arsenal will face in a hectic six-week period before the league breaks up for the winter World Cup.
On top of that, if Mikel Arteta's side are to pull away from their top four challengers and cement themselves in the European places, their competition to go higher than that will be from seasoned title-winners Manchester City. This, Arteta can have no effect on.
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His former employers remain the only unbeaten team in the league and have demonstrated their strength for all to see. Even just eight games into a season, Arsenal's expectations have seemingly changed, and their current challengers are a team that have won four of the last five titles.
Not that there is evidence currently to suggest that Arteta's men aren't playing brilliantly, but Gary Neville can't see anyone stopping Pep Guardiola once more. Speaking after City battered United 6-3 in the Manchester derby, Neville said, "They responded in the second half and were playing against something that is just abnormal in Haaland and City. I think they can win this league by 15-20 points. It feels like a ridiculous statement to make when they're not even top of the league at this moment in time - but I think they're that good.
"When the league settles down. When they start to really get into it, the signs are there, they're scoring that many goals, they've got three of their best players missing today."
Arsenal's biggest test of the week is arguably yet to come as they face Liverpool next weekend, but the Gunners may now be entering the fixture as favourites as Jurgen Klopp's side struggles and Arteta's thrives. Neville feels that ultimately the point may well be moot despite Arsenal sitting top of the tree.
He said on the Gary Neville podcast: "I just feel like they [City] can win this league quite easily. I hope it's not the case, obviously, because I want us to have competition and it to be really a fascinating season and for them to be pushed all the way, if not to be beaten.
"But I just feel like what I've watched there is something exceptional."
Not winning the league will be by no means a disappointment for Arsenal, who need to keep riding the wave they are on and see how far it takes them. With better performances, results, form and unity than almost every other side in the league, the gap they are building up will only help them further down the line, even if it doesn't equate to domestic silverware.
That itself is a point that will be helped by promising early league results as more attention can be turned across the board if a sizable gap is created. These are now all hypotheticals, though, but City's dominance demonstrates what Arsenal really are up against if they can draw out their impressive run long enough into the campaign.
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