Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris said Sunday's derby against Chelsea was an opportunity to assess the team's progress after underestimating the importance of the 4-1 win over Southampton.
Spurs added to the optimism at the club with an impressive smash against the Saints on an opening day without any of their six summer signings in Antonio Conte's starting XI. Spurs were beaten by Chelsea on four occasions last season, including three in January, the first of which angered Conte to describe the quality of his squad as 'average'.
They improved dramatically in the second half of last season and the head coach said in March that he would like the chance to face Chelsea again to assess their progress. The Blues opened the campaign after six tumultuous months with a narrow 1-0 win over Everton and the encounter at Stamford Bridge promises to be an interesting indicator of the prospects for both clubs.
"Obviously it's a good time to judge yourself when you face an opponent like that," Spurs goalkeeper Lloris told Standard Sport.
"After two games, whatever the result [next weekend], there will be a lot of games ahead of us, but it's important to ensure a good result and performance [against Southampton] and show improvement last season.
"Chelsea are a very strong team, very competitive, they will probably be title contenders and it's good for us to go out there and challenge them."
Spurs continued where they left off last season and showed full speed on Saturday, with goals from Ryan Sessegnon, Eric Dier, own goals from Mohamed Salisso, and Dejan Kulusevski making a comeback win after James Ward-Prowse stunned the Saints.
Asked if Spurs would enter the season with a different mentality, Lloris said: “It would be easy to say [that] after a win like that, but we have strong legs. That's just the beginning.
“With the last eight months [under Conte] as well as pre-season, we have a strong structure and foundation. We know each other well and there are high-quality players and international players coming in, so of course, we will try to be as competitive as possible.
"We have a big challenge ahead of us at Stamford Bridge next weekend and we will try in the same way to respect our philosophy and the way we want to play and compete.
"I think the work we've done over the last eight months plus pre-season gives us a lot of guidance and a starting point in terms of the physical and tactical aspects.
"And then we have to - and it depends on the players - improve the mental aspect to be more competitive and close the gap with the best teams in the country and in the Champions League with the best teams in Europe."
"We are on the right path. But then again, it's easy to speak in front of you now. The most important thing is to show it, even if we have a chance, even if we face an opponent."
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