It is far too soon to start proclaiming “Tottenham are back”, particularly with a trip to Chelsea around the corner, but there are signs that the club’s slow start to the Premier League season will eventually be viewed as an outlier in a more positive campaign.

Spurs head coach Roberto De Zerbi was not entirely impressed with the nature of his team’s first League victory of the season, against Coventry City, but there were elements that pointed to a brighter future.

Here, Telegraph Sport examines some of the encouraging signs from the 3-1 victory over Coventry and why there is evidence that Tottenham will not be hanging around the bottom of the table for too long – even if the club’s awful run at Stamford Bridge continues on Saturday.

The comeback kids

James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski provided the feel-good factor in Monday night’s win and De Zerbi admitted that the pair give the Tottenham dressing room a “different atmosphere.”

Having made his playing return from a serious injury that kept him out for 526 days and was still considered career-threatening as recently as two months ago, Kulusevski is determined to make up for lost time.

“It seemed impossible [to return],” said Kulusevski. “I had to tell my closest ones it might not work out, just a couple of months ago, but in my heart I always knew it would work out. I kept working, 10 hours every day when no one was watching, so when everything was impossible and everyone gave up, I never gave up because of what happened today.

“Imagine when everyone gives up on you. Imagine that you can’t [play] and you know football for me is like breathing. Imagine you can’t breathe for two years, but still you have a family. You show up, you do it with a smile, you go with your team-mates, you hype them up and that takes a lot of love, a lot of courage and a lot of belief. That is what I had to practice, but I can’t take any credit because it wasn’t me. It was God. He gives me all the power.”

Kulusevski was given a hero’s reception by supporters on his return and the Swede added: “I am so grateful that they miss me play. It means a lot and I am here to show them a better me. And a better me will be a better Spurs so we will be good.”

Maddison scored his first League goal in 18 months against Coventry because of his own injury problems, but the midfielder now appears to be ready to start contributing more regularly.

Tonali upturn

It took Tottenham’s first £100m player a bit of time to get going, but the Italian has improved in recent weeks and perhaps produced his best 90 minutes for the club against Coventry.

Operating just in front of Tottenham’s new-look back three, Sandro Tonali ran the game for the home side and popped up all over the pitch – dictating play, tackling, giving his team-mates options and moving into shooting positions.

Tonali went close on two occasions before Omar Marmoush restored Tottenham’s lead and provided the drive for the home side after Coventry had equalised.

Spurs have lacked a midfield dictator since the days of the supremely talented Mousa Dembele. Tonali is a different player to Dembele, but has a similar ability to run games when he is at his best.

Smells like team spirit

Whether it was the team bonding trip to Marbella or the no-holds-barred meeting before the Manchester United game, Spurs are beginning to look like a team rather than a group of individuals.

Maddison and Kulusevski left the pitch arm in arm on Monday night, Dominic Solanke and Tosin Adarabioyo are close friends, and Micky van de Ven came to Jan Paul van Hecke’s rescue at the end of the first half against Coventry.

“I think the result [against Coventry] is important, but the most important thing can be two things,” said De Zerbi. “The first one, we understood we are able to win a game like other teams in the Premier League.

“The second one, we put something ahead of ourselves, like we have done in the last two weeks before Old Trafford. Because the day before Old Trafford we had a big meeting and we spoke about the situation. We can’t accept, we can’t move on if we don’t take more responsibility.

“This week [in Marbella] was important because we stayed together, we spent time together, and they want to build, not a family, but like a family Because during the game, if you have a problem, if there is a tough situation, a difficult situation, you have to play for your team-mates, for your fans, for your brother. Not like a robot with 11 players on the pitch.”

Fan buy-in

There were already murmurings of discontent among Spurs fans this time last year, despite the club starting the season with three more victories from their first seven League games.

Many Tottenham supporters sensed the writing was on the wall under Thomas Frank and things quickly turned toxic. But, on the whole, fans have remained behind De Zerbi and his players through their slow start to this campaign.

De Zerbi had earned credit in the bank by keeping the club in the Premier League after answering an SOS at the end of last season and the Italian has managed to convince supporters that he will eventually get it right.

There was no booing or overwhelming anger when Coventry grabbed an equaliser on Monday night. Instead, the home fans roared their team back on the attack and the players responded by eventually securing a 3-1 victory.

Not since the days of Mauricio Pochettino have the Spurs fans really bought into a head coach, but De Zerbi clearly has their backing and that will be crucial.

A rare victory over Chelsea at Stamford would make De Zerbi even more popular among fans, but Spurs no longer feel one game from a civil war.