After an emphatic 7-1 win over Swansea City in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Saturday, James Ward-Prowse was left to reflect on the confidence amongst the group.
A brace from the captain was complimented by further strikes from Danny Ings 2, Nathan Redmond, Ché Adams and Ryan Bertrand.
Marking their first pre-season friendly with a comprehensive victory, Ward-Prowse was left in a buoyant mood.
“It was a tough test for us,” he said. “But it’s good to get the first game out of the way and blow off a few of the cobwebs that we had and I think the main thing was implementing the stuff we worked on during the week.
“You can see everyone is clicking together now and we’re putting those things into place ,so it’s a good first step and we’re looking forward to the next one.
“There’s a real understanding between everyone now in terms of how we play. We’ve improved our game without the ball and with the ball more importantly.
“We created more chances and I think you can see the confidence flowing in everybody right now.
“It was an important factor before today’s game, we didn’t want to take a step back. We had a really strong end to the season and wanted to make sure that we put that into good effect into this season.
“Today was an important step, even though it’s only a pre-season friendly, in making sure we carry that on.
“There’s a real focus amongst us and a real confidence that we’re building something special and a real buzz about the place, so we want to make sure we take that into the first [Premier League] game.”