Arsenal had 64 points at this stage of the campaign last season, but although they have a similar tally this time around (67), the situation feels hugely different.
Back in 2013-14, a title challenge had disintegrated and the fallout from damaging away defeats to Liverpool, Chelsea and Everton cast a shadow over everything else. Finishing with five successive wins didn't do enough to wipe away the disenchantment, and even winning the FA Cup didn't keep the complaints away when the new season started more poorly than people expected.
Now after the dust has settled, injuries have cleared, and results and performances have improved significantly, it feels as if genuine progress has been made. But Arsenal, like rock royalty Boston, need more than a feeling. The progress needs to be tangible, which means finishing in a better position than last season.
Despite being on the same number of points as Manchester City, second place is in their own hands as Arsenal have a game in hand, against Sunderland on May 20. Finishing runners-up won't win them any prizes, but it will mean this season can be used as a genuine building block rather than the mad scramble for fourth that has become all too familiar in recent years.
It's something Arsene Wenger is keen to see his team achieve, not just for what it will mean for the team this season but next.
"That's our challenge, to finish well and take that strength into the next season," he said.
"The start of the season is linked with belief as well. We can just strengthen the belief by finishing well."
Belief aside, on a very basic level it would mean no Champions League qualifier in August. While it's never been a game that has troubled them particularly in the past, not having the early-season schedule made more hectic by European travels will be helpful when trying to get players back to full fitness.
It's also 10 years since Arsenal finished any higher than third. In the 2004-05 they ended up runners-up behind Chelsea; since then it's been three third- and six fourth-place finishes. There have been myriad reasons for that, but the financial constraints have been lifted and spending has increased, and that needs to be reflected in the final league position.
The fixtures left aren't too unkind. Hull, Swansea, Sunderland and West Brom are all very winnable while the big test will come at Old Trafford later this month. While an FA Cup victory there in March was an important one, Wenger will know how valuable repeating that feat in the league will be -- especially as Manchester United are still in contention for a second-place finish themselves.
It really is one game at a time territory though and Monday's opponents, Hull City, have caused Arsenal some problems in recent encounters. Back in October at the Emirates, the performance was poor and it required an injury-time equaliser from Danny Welbeck to even salvage a point. At Wembley last May, the Tigers gave Arsenal a real scare in the FA Cup final before losing 3-2 from being 2-0 up.
Whether Hull's two recent wins will allow them to relax a little, even subconsciously, is up for debate, and the Londoners have to expect a battle at the KC Stadium on Monday night. The six points they picked up against Crystal Palace and Liverpool have put them in a much stronger position, but they're still far from safe, so anything they can get will be hugely important.
There were no hints from Wenger about how he might set up his team for this one. With more or less everyone fit, he's spoiled for a choice -- not something he's been used to very often -- so his decision is whether or not to make changes to a team that have been performing well. He did so for the semifinal against Reading and it didn't work out as well as he'd have liked, despite edging past them.
Don't be surprised to see the same XI that began the 0-0 draw against Chelsea last weekend, and in the form Arsenal have been in, it's hard to see how Hull can stifle them the way the champions elect did last week.