Whether Andree Jeglertz chooses to accept it or not, Manchester City are the team to beat this season.
With a six-point gap at the top at the halfway point of the Women's Super League season, they have put themselves in the best possible position to finally beat six-time champions Chelsea to the title.
So, what's changed?
In conversation with Your Site recently, Vivianne Miedema was asked to put her finger on City's point of difference this season, and her response was interesting. "I think we all take more responsibility," she said. That is something you notice when watching City first-hand.
Their plan is clearly to press, recover the ball quickly, attack with speed, and play with in-your-face intensity, but it's the individuals who all know their roles so intricately that are making that happen.
That comes with time on the training field - City are not burdened by European commitments this season - and a manager whose dual experience of the women's game at club and international level has meant City are far less one-dimensional than they were under Gareth Taylor.
Jeglertz is a clever tactician and his subtle tweaks - Yui Hasegawa in a more offensive role, Kerstin Casparij as a de facto winger, Bunny Shaw a box-only striker - have made for a more ruthless team, able to kill off games against direct rivals. And yet the graphic above, where the red colour prevails, illustrates the league's leading scorers still hold room for improvement.
They twice gave up their lead against Arsenal in October but managed to win 3-2 and hammered Manchester United 3-0 in the derby the following month. An opening-day defeat to Chelsea remains their only blip in an otherwise faultless first half of the season.
Man City have long been criticised for a lack of bite. Taylor often cited a "soft underbelly" during his time in charge. They appeared far too sympathetic to Chelsea's cause, something Jeglertz will not stand for.
He is a fascinating character to talk to, very relaxed, measured and positive - but so hungry for success. He spoke recently about constantly looking for margins of gain, and emphasised how this group are "hunting all the time". He encourages his squad to behave like the chasers, not the ones being chased.
It is that mentality to keep getting better that has meant they do not rest and are never satisfied. In victory over Leicester a few weeks ago, they were made to wait until the 74th minute for the opener before scoring three in an unforgiving 20-minute spell. Where panic once resided, only patience exists now.
And there is demand for more, too. Jeglertz never wants City to hold onto leads by being passive; he wants to control games by being constantly front-footed in the way they attack. Even at 4-1 up with the result in the bag against Aston Villa at the weekend, the manager sensed the opportunity for more goals and made that clear on the touchline. They scored twice more after the 80-minute mark.
"Enjoy," Casparij told Your Site when asked what has changed this year under Jeglertz. "All the attacking players we have play on instinct," she said - something Jeglertz champions within a structure that promotes individuality.
There is no sense of restriction in his philosophy, and while early in the season that may have caused them to concede more than they would have liked, they seem to have the balance spot on now.
In the tunnel on a matchday - which Your Site is fortunate enough to have access to - players arrive to every game primed, but relaxed. You get a sense of it pre-game and during games as well, better equipped to cope with pressure moments and swings in momentum. The spine of the side is full of leaders of all types; talkers and doers.
They are just the fourth side in league history to win 10 of their opening 11 games of the campaign, outscoring every rival as they did it. Connections have never looked so seamless.
Elite-level Bunny Shaw has returned after an injury-hit season curtailed her playing time last year. She is better than ever, averaging over a goal a game, and clearly on a mission to win her side their first title since 2016. In total, her 15 goal contributions are more than double any other player.
Every title-winning side has a prize asset. The 28-year-old is comfortably among the best in the world right now, and yet she is not alone. Miedema, Hasegawa and Aoba Fujino are all having their best seasons in City blue - not coincidentally. Lauren Hemp and Kerolin have been menacing when fit, too.
When you look across from the tunnel to the bench and see the likes of Alex Greenwood, Grace Clinton and Gracie Prior on it, you know this is a team set up for success. Shaw might be the star of the show but this squad now has depth similar to that of Chelsea while playing fewer games. There is no substitute for the luxury of time in terms of recovery from the last and preparation for the next.
A true sign of champions comes when a step up in class is witnessed all over the pitch. Shaw's scoring prowess is being fed by some of the most efficient creators and providers in the league. Miedema is approaching something close to her best, but it's Casparij that takes special mention here.
"I think I'm getting a lot of freedom in the style of play and our system," she told Your Site recently. "It gives me a lot of opportunity to go forward."
Casparij is key to unlocking opposition sides that are set up to restrict space in a back five, providing pace and width as well as a wicked delivery. She has completed 128 final-third passes, the third most of any defender, and delivered 45 crosses. Her four open-play assists can only be bettered by Manchester United's Ella Toone (five).
Both Casparij and Fujino are servicing the forwards with greater regularity and quality, illustrated by their expected assists (xA) values in the graphic above. And means Shaw plays alongside two of the most prolific chance-creators in the league. For the first time in a long time, it seems to be the perfect blend.
Manchester City return to Women's Super League action after the winter break with a home tie against Everton in January. But crunch time comes the following month. Jeglertz's side take on Chelsea and Arsenal in back-to-back games at the beginning of February, with the chance to all but eliminate each side from the race. They have never been better set up to do just that.
