Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris has warned fans they face a transitional season under manager Nuno.
Sunday's clash against champs Manchester City will be new Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo's first competitive game in charge.
The former Wolves chief was appointed by Spurs as the permanent successor to Jose Mourinho in the summer after their sorry seventh-placed finish last season.
Lloris said: "We will be competitive, that is our motivation. But also we have to recognise that there is quality all around the league.
"That's why we all love the Premier League and why it's the most exciting league in the world. It's because the competition is very high.
"There are a lot of competitive clubs that show progress every year. And that's why it's hard but we have to make sure that we are ready to compete as a club, as a team.
"It's difficult to predict what is going to happen. As a player, the only thing I can say is that I just want to make sure all the players are giving their best every day in training sessions and do their best in competition and see where we will be later in the season.
"The focus now is to find the confidence and to understand perfectly what the manager demands. As I said before, I think it's a new era beginning at the club with a new sporting director, a new manager.
"We can't only be focused on this season. Sometimes it's better to step back a little bit to come back stronger.
"When we think about today, you have to prepare for the future, to make sure you have strong basics, inside the team, inside the club to make sure you can keep progressing season after season.
"It was the case under Mauricio Pochettino, to be honest, and then there was a bit of up and down and now I think the focus is to reach consistency."