A bit of positivity goes a long way. Tottenham's 1-0 win at Luton on Saturday saw Ange Postecoglou's side move to the top of the Premier League. Spurs are a team transformed.
Although it seems a long time ago now, last season had also started well for the north London club, with five wins and two draws from the opening seven matches under Antonio Conte.
Coming into Saturday's game at Kenilworth Road, Spurs had matched that return. But unlike last season, they did not come unstuck in their eighth fixture this time.
Defeat at Arsenal last season brought Conte's side back to reality. It had felt like Spurs were overachieving then and subsequent results showed that to be the case as the Lilywhites lost four of their next seven games.
This feels different already. Postecoglou's project is just getting started and Spurs are playing on the front foot. The football is exciting, the fans are back on board and the mood is positive again.
It has all happened quickly, too – and without their all-time top scorer Harry Kane, who left to join Bayern Munich in the summer. Yet just a few months ago, Conte complained that there was no chance of changing "the history of the Tottenham" any time soon.
"To change this type of situation that is happening for many, many years in Tottenham, it's not simple," he said. "In a short time it's impossible to do this, not only for me but I think for any manager or coach to come in and change the story in one second. This [is the] story of this club for the last 20 years."
That just seems silly now. And after several seasons watching a reactive style under Conte, Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo, Spurs are finally playing the type of football which is in keeping with their traditions. To dare is to do, after all.
Chairman Daniel Levy has made mistakes along the way, but signing Postecoglou already seems like a masterstroke. And Levy himself seemed relieved after the recent fans' forum. "We've got our Tottenham back," he beamed.
Saturday's game was just the type of fixture which might have tripped up Tottenham in the past. With the chance to go top and Spurs very much expected to win, it was certainly a potential banana skin.
Those fears will have grown after the visitors failed to convert any of their early chances and then had Yves Bissouma sent off late in the first half, yet it really does appear that this Spurs side is made of stronger stuff.
In the end, some quick improvisation from Dejan Kulusevski provided the spark. James Maddison was running across to take the corner after previously hitting one in from the left, but the Swede did not wait and played a short pass to the midfielder instead. Maddison turned, beat Alfie Doughty with some super skill and cut the ball back for Micky van de Ven to finish.
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After that, it was time to defend – not always a Spurs speciality in recent years. But Tottenham worked hard, kept the control and ultimately deserved the three points against a spirited Luton team that pushed them right until the end.
It was put to Postecoglou after the match that Spurs may have slipped up in similar circumstances previous years. "I don't want to talk about the past," he said.
And on his players' performance, he added: "In the end just the sheer will and effort of them to make sure we won, not just the starters but the guys coming on, it was a great collective effort."
So Spurs go top and if Arsenal and Manchester City draw their match at the Emirates on Sunday, they will stay there for the forthcoming international break.
Postecoglou is not getting carried away, though.
“We haven’t achieved anything," he said. "All we've done is lay some really good foundations."
That is something of an understatement as his side sit top and also unbeaten just seven games into his tenure – and Tottenham fans can be extremely excited to see just what can be built upon those foundations in the weeks and months ahead.
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