"If you go back to the start of last season, we only won one of our first six league games. When you look at the final league table, that's what probably cost us more than anything else. While we had a slow start, Chelsea began with a winning streak," he said.
"If you compare the points tally in the second half of the season, we were as good as anyone, including Chelsea. That's the lesson we've got to learn this time. Even the first few games can be vital when you look back at the end of the season.
"We know we can't compete with Chelsea financially, but our squad is stronger and our first target is to start well and put pressure on them. There is no doubt they're the favourites again, but if we can stay close for the first part of the season this time, then we can genuinely think about going past them before the end. We know what we want to do this season. The key is to hit the ground running."