Eddie Howe has insisted Newcastle United can get even better - and given his recipe for success in 2023, you have to believe him.
Newcastle are third top, after finishing last year third bottom. As Leeds prepare to visit, the Geordies have made St James' Park a fortress in the last 12 months, losing just once in 19 league games - to Liverpool in April - and keeping 11 clean sheets.
That has been the foundation for their stunning revival, and Howe refused to rule Newcastle out of the title race saying: "I wouldn't say we can't, and I think that's the best way to answer it."
That's still a long shot, with Champions League qualification or a cup win more realistic aims, as Howe and his side seek to "stay ahead of the curve" tactically and outsmart, as well as overwhelm, opponents.
Howe is aware the challenges will change with a target on their back and wary opponents playing more defensively. He said: “I still feel we can improve so much in the team.
"I think there are a lot of areas to improve, which is a great thing from my perspective, and I'll never stop that search. So as long as we have a mindset that we know we can improve collectively, then hopefully the momentum can carry on.
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"We have to keep pushing boundaries and keep them in a focused place. So much can happen between now and the end of the season. We are in a winning moment and everything is fine, bad habits, complacency can creep in and you need human psychology to overcome that.
"To this point I am proud of the group and what they have given - 100pc effort, a collective force, people putting team ahead of self interest. We are constantly adapting and looking at football to analyse the games and be ahead of what is coming next. The team played a slightly different way this year and we are tweaking week by week.
“That process never stops. My process is to be ahead of the curve. Football's changes quickly, this season teams have changed. I watched the World Cup to see tactical ideas and trends.
Howe knows from his days taking Bournemouth through the leagues that pressure is different at the top. “It is better than the other end,” he added. I have been at the top end in other leagues and though the name is different, the situation is the same.
"You are dealing with different emotions and pressures within your squad. We have to be very focussed and concentrate on delivering our training sessions in a different way. I think we are hopefully capable enough to analyse the situation, try and get the best out of the squad and keep them concentrated on what is important and how our actions and attitude can affect games.”
Howe holds team and individual chats with his players and said: "I have to compliment the group on everything they have done mentally this season. It wasn’t an easy start for us, we didn’t win the games that perhaps we should have done early on.
"Then we win a few games and it is a big question how we react from there and we have just put our foot down and gone again and again and again.
"The challenge is to continue to do that as teams raise their game against us which will naturally occur. Part of us that is settling and happy, we know we have to improve to continue to get good results.
The experience of Kieran Trippier, who won La Liga with Atletico Madrid, and other senior stays is also key. He said: “That is a huge thing. We would not have got the consistent results if we didn’t have those people internally in the squad setting the standards." Callum Wilson has trained and could be available against Leeds but Alexander Isak is still out.
