For Tottenham Hotspur fans, the overwhelming synopsis for the progress made under Mauricio Pochettino so far has been "good but not great". Results in the games most important to the fans have certainly contributed, but the caveat to this synopsis certainly springs from struggles against less worthy opponents.
This was epitomised by their home fixture against Aston Villa in April. Spurs lost 1-0 despite dominating the game, but ultimately failed to create or convert enough clear cut chances. The winning goal came against the run of play and was a soft goal to concede with Christian Benteke heading in despite being tightly marked by Federico Fazio, a man who had been billed as peerless in the air prior to his transfer from Sevilla to North London.
Villa set up to defend and counter against Spurs which they did very well, making Spurs look fatigued and impotent when trying to break through.
Since then what has changed for Villa?
The headline change for the Villans is the departure of Tim Sherwood as manager. When he returned to White Hart Lane in April with his Villa side they were in the middle of a successful fight for survival as well as an FA Cup run, which took them to a Wembley final against Spurs' North London rivals Arsenal.
The dramatic turnaround in Villa's fortune last season makes it so surprising that Sherwood has been relieved of his duties at Villa Park. With him, he brought an outgoing swagger, which some felt lacking in Paul Lambert and the sides he put out on a weekly basis. This charisma inspired the Villa players to rally around and achieve their common goal of survival.
Sherwood seemed the perfect fit. A positive atmosphere surrounded the squad, seen clearly following the dramatic FA Cup semi-final victory against Liverpool at Wembley.
Trust was even placed in him by the Villa board. This was significant given Sherwood's risque dealings with the media and cavalier tactics on the pitch which could backfire at any minute.
Villa struggle to recreate good form
However, so far this year Villa haven't replicated the performances they conjured up last year, and despite a whole raft of foreign talent being brought into the club, the gaping hole left by Benteke and Fabian Delph has cost them in the early proceedings of this season, ultimately resulting in the sacking of Sherwood.
Villa are without doubt a worse side without Benteke and Delph, however. While Rudy Gestede has presence up top, his footwork or finesse don't come close to matching that of the Belgian who departed for Liverpool in the summer. In midfield, Idrissa Gueye and Jordan Ayew may prove to be worthy Premier League players but they lack the passion and intensity of Delph.
Delph's box-to-box presence facilitated the inclusion of Jack Grealish, who must be seen as a luxury player for the midlands club. His ability to break up play and start off attacks earned him a spot in the England set up which he held down consistently until he was struck down by injury. Losing him has resulted in a loss of dynamism and balance in Villa's midfield.
However, on paper they have improved defensively, with the loss of defensive stalwart Ron Vlaar being compensated by the addition of experienced English defenders Joleon Lescott and Micah Richards. Yet despite the addition of highly rated Jordan Amavi, the limited Alan Hutton and Kieron Richardson still occupy the full-back area.
Like they did last season, if Villa are going to improve and stay up they must get the best out of their main goalscoring threat, which seems to be Gestede. He has heaps of talent, and has shown glimpses of class so far this season, but currently has not received the service he needs.
Benteke had significant periods of struggle at Villa when not given the service, and hence there is still hope for fans that Gestede will hit form and drag Villa back into contention. For this to happen, creative players such as Jack Grealish and Jordan Ayew must be the ones who step up and provide this.
A quiet summer for once at White Hart Lane
After a tumultuous few years, Spurs had a very quiet summer. Mauricio Pochettino clearly has the backing of the board and certainly of most of the fans. For now at least, he looks set to be in the job for a long time.
Much was made of Spurs' transfer dealings following the sale of Gareth Bale, but no such cavalier approach was displayed this summer. Spurs looked to make prudent additions which looked to improve the weaker area of the squad. However, the failure to secure a centre forward to provide cover for Harry Kane has already been hotly questioned.
The highest profile signing was Heung Min-Son who, in the few games he played for Spurs before injury, looked to provide more crrative spark and thrust for Spurs in the final third.
This was severely lacking last time Spurs played Villa. Villa sat back and let Spurs come at them, yet Spurs simply couldn't pick the Villa lock. Fixing this won't happen overnight, but the display against the similarly set up Crystal Palace will provide encouragement for Spurs fans.
While the problems in the final third seem to be fixing themselves, especially with the return of revitalised Christian Eriksen, defensively Spurs are vastly improved from last season.
While there remains a power struggle between Ben Davies and Danny Rose at left back, the addition of Toby Alderweireld has galvanised the defensive unit as a whole.
Ultimately, Monday night will be a litmus test for Spurs, to prove whether the summer has been well spent in making them better prepared to overcome the teams against whom they came unstuck against last term.