Watford striker Odion Ighalo believes the club are good enough to stay in the Premier League after losing only two of their opening seven games.
Ighalo, who has scored 20 goals in 2015 to make him the most prolific player in all four divisions of English football, has helped the newly-promoted side to wins over Newcastle and Swansea and three draws.
Those results mean the Hornets sit 13th, outside the top half of the table on goal difference.
Watford were tipped to struggle in the Premier League this season after bringing in Quique Sanchez Flores to replace Slavisa Jokanovic and undergoing a massive squad overhaul.
Fifteen players were drafted in and eight offloaded, but Watford have shown they will be a hard team to beat and Ighalo is full of confidence.
"We knew it was not going to be easy in the Premier League, but we are happy with our start," he told ESPN FC. "I believe we have a team that can avoid relegation.
"We have a number of quality of players in our squad and I am sure we will only get better. The manager has ensured we are hard to beat and he has done a great job with the team.
"If we stay focused and keep working hard in every game, I know we can stay up."
Ighalo, who joined Watford on loan from Italian side Udinese in July 2014 and made the move permanent last October, admits it has been tough trying to help so many new players settle in.
"It is difficult of course to have 15 new players in the squad and try and get everyone settled straight away," he said.
"It will take time for all the new players to gel and get used to playing with each other, but the signs so far are good and I am sure we will only get better as the season goes on."
However, the 26-year-old is not getting carried away with his four Premier League goals this season and insists he is happy to prove critics who suggested he might struggle in England's top league wrong.
"I scored 20 goals in the Championship last season and a lot of people doubted I could score goals in the Premier League so it is nice to prove them wrong," he added.
"I am happy that I have scored four goals so far, but it is not about me and my goals -- the team is the most important.
"If I don't score and we win I am happy because the three points are more important than me scoring goals."
Despite his rich vein of form, Ighalo is trying not to put any additional pressure on himself.
"I don't have any goal-scoring targets at all," he said. "All I want to do is continue to work hard."
The Nigeria international had the opportunity to leave Watford for a big money move to China in the summer but signed a new five-year deal in July.
"Even though I had the chance to go to China this summer I never really thought about it as I wanted to stay at Watford," he said. "I am really happy here. The fans love me, and I love them too.
"It was always my dream to play in the Premier League as a kid, so there was no way I was going to give up on that.
"I am happy I signed the new deal as it means I can focus on doing my best for Watford for the next few years. I feel there is even more to come from me and the team."