Juve and Italy wideman Simone Pepe is not the most technically-gifted player but he can run all match long, has only occasionally been spotted wearing a neck warmer and usually gets up as soon as he is kicked.
His efforts on the left, combined with those of Serbia's Milos Krasic on the right, have helped Italy's most successful club to climb to second after limping in seventh last term.
"I'm not talking about the scudetto at this stage of the season," he told Reuters.
"Juve are a good side and if we continue like this, bit by bit, then we'll see in March if we have a chance of the title."
Sunday's 2-1 home victory over rivals Lazio, where Krasic grabbed a stoppage-time winner, was just the sort of game Juve would have surrendered last term when morale sank almost as low as 2006, the year they were demoted in a match-fixing scandal.
"Juve are showing we can consistently put in strong performances and improve gradually," added Pepe, who scored in the recent 3-1 triumph at Catania and 1-1 draw with Fiorentina.
"It's a great satisfaction if the team is getting better and so am I. This is important."
Juve boast Italy's young central defenders Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci while keeper Marco Storari is in fine form.
As well as the Europa League disappointment, which many fans see as a blessing in disguise, Juve's main difficulty this term is finding the right balance with their strikers.
"If he is in the plans of Juve and Juve take him we will be really happy," Pepe said of the former Barcelona front-man.
"But let's see what happens," he added in typical style.
