Having battled to establish themselves as a Premier League mainstay, Watford can now look to build a more balanced team.

That was the opinion offered by left-back Jose Holebas after the Hornets came from behind to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 and maintain their 100 per cent start to the season.

With Holebas joining the club ahead of their first season back in the top flight in 2015, the 34-year-old is better placed than most to assess the club’s development.

He says the Hornets have made plenty of progress since their first tentative steps in English football’s top tier and are now well placed to kick on.

“It is totally different to the last few years. When I see the boys on the training pitch, I can see it is different,” Holebas said.

“I think some of them understand now what it is about to be in the Premier League. The first year was quite difficult as a promoted team and the same for the second year.

“I think the time is coming now where you can create a team and that is what the club are doing here step by step and I think the form is coming a little bit from it.”

Part of maintaining a sustainable top flight side, it could be argued, is having a first team coach in place for a prolonged period of time.

This is a luxury Watford have not enjoyed in the Premier League, with Quique Sanchez Flores, Walter Mazzarri and Marco Silva all lasting a season or less in the Vicarage Road hot seat.

After being kept on in the summer, Javi Gracia could well buck that trend in the wake of masterminding Watford’s perfect start to the campaign.

Holebas says continuity has been key to helping Watford start the season brightly and was quick to praise the work of Gracia.

“We didn’t change anything [from last season]. The manager has been working well and has given us good options to handle every game,” the former Roma man said.

“I have had a lot of managers here and it is always different. That makes it really difficult because every manager wants to do is own stuff, with another mentality. If this changes every season, is it really difficult I have to say.”