It was certainly a start to the season that the pundits, and many fans, did not predict.

Watford won five in a row, including three league games, and scored 15 goals in the process.

Now he’s had time to reflect, was it a beginning to the campaign beyond Tom Cleverley’s wildest dreams?

“We prepared every game to win, and I want to be respectful but Millwall, Stoke and Derby aren’t Leeds, Burnley and Middlesbrough,” he said.

“We had the players to win those games and the game plan to win them.

“Doing it five times on the trot is rare, but I don’t think it was beyond my wildest dreams.”

Having flown out of the traps, the Hornets' stride has been checked somewhat since – did that stunning start possibly let a little bit of complacency seep into the camp?

“I would like to say no, and I think the Preston game is the first time I’ve seen any complacency creep in,” said Cleverley.

“I think we felt like we could just turn up that night, and it would be enough.

“It wasn’t just me who nipped that in the bud either, the players knew they had let themselves and the supporters down that evening and they dealt with it from within, and then responded really well against Middlesbrough.”

As well as starting the season with three league wins, Watford cruised through two rounds of the Carabao Cup, taking the opportunity to rotate the squad at the same time.

“Yeah, that was hugely important because I wanted everyone to become a part of the feel-good factor,” said Cleverley.

“The emergence of Baah, the input Incey had, the debuts for a lot younger players, I feel those cup ties were really useful for us.

“Not only did we gain two more wins with clean sheets, but we scored goals and grew confidence, and everyone was able to feel part of the successful start to the season.

“The guys who are maybe not featuring as much as they would like are still having a positive impact on the environment, and they showed they are ready when called upon.”

When he stepped in for the final nine games of last season, his task was to navigate Watford away from trouble and rebuild confidence amongst players and fans alike.

Is what we’ve seen this season more reflective of what a Tom Cleverley-coached team looks like?

“I’d like to say yes, for sure,” he replied.

“I love aggressive, high-energy, high-pressing football, but one thing I have learned is you have to respect some teams more than others.

“I’ve also learned to respect the fact you can be in control without having the ball at times.

“That has been what I have learned as a coach so far: you can’t be all high-risk, high-press football all the time.

“You have to be able to control the game even when you’re out of possession.

“But generally I want to be putting teams under pressure whenever I can, and those first three league games I felt we did that.

“And I think we’ve been entertaining so far, scoring a lot of goals and creating a lot of chances.

“What we addressed from the end of last season was that although we got tight at the back, we weren’t the most entertaining team to watch.

“Now we’ve changed that, but my job is all about balance and I can’t sacrifice not being tight to be an entertaining team, so I’ve got to find that sweet spot.”