Sunderland have hit their stride early in the Premier League, eclipsing the expectations many people had over their chances of even staying up, despite their emphatic transfer window.
Currently, they occupy a Champions League place, and their recent run of victories have certainly put them in good stead to remain in the division.
They were tenacious and resilient against Chelsea, causing quite an upset at Stamford Bridge courtesy of a late winner from one of their summer signings Chemsdine Talbi.
One player who has played a key role in the successes so far is captain Granit Xhaka, and Regis Le Bris heaped praise on the midfielder when he spoke to the media.
"He leads by example and gives this faith and hope. When we play away against Chelsea, he believes we can win and he shows it. He tells it - in the dressing room and everywhere. So you want to believe that it's possible, you want to follow him."
Le Bris also seemed selfless and keen as a manager for the players to take control of situations, perhaps alluding to Xhaka as the perfect acquisition who can step into that role.
"As a coach, you do not want to be the main man. That is not my purpose. I want to give knowledge, power and responsibility to the squad. We have players on the pitch to manage micro situations. We are improving our level and are now able to be more proactive, flexible and adaptive to solve and fix problems and to size up opportunities as well."
Another challenge awaits on Monday night when they host Everton before Arsenal travel to the Stadium of Light ahead of the next international break.
They have exceeded perhaps their own expectations already, but Le Bris insisted the season is far from over and they need to set new objectives while remaining consistent.
"Consistency is probably the main word. You can be competitive over a short period but over the full league it is totally different. So this will be our next challenge."