Adam Lallana says he is 'playing with a smile on my face' after clocking up more appearances than any of his previous three seasons.
The 32-year-old is on 26 for the campaign and wants to build on a run of five consecutive league starts.
“I am really enjoying my football at the moment, the most I have in years and I am playing football with a smile on my face.
“I am enjoying the competition, the physicality of the game and I am loving being a part of this football club.
“In my last two or three years I haven't played regularly as I haven’t been able to sustain a consistent level of fitness, but I feel like I am playing at a high level and I am looking forward to carrying on improving under a great manager and with a great group of lads.
“It's a different challenge to what I have faced in recent years, but I am enjoying it just as much.”
The summer arrival believes he has seen improvements this season, but knows that the goals Graham Potter has set for his team won’t be achieved overnight.
“It's difficult for me to answer whether or not we are better than last year because I wasn't here, but there is still room for improvement.
“We're never going to be happy standing still and we want to look above us rather than below us in the table, that's the project we're working on. It's not a project that will be finished in weeks and months, it's a long-term goal for us. We need to keep demanding the high standards of ourselves and each other.
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“We're not close enough to where we want to be. We need to demand more of each other and so do I personally of myself.
“I was in five or six positions in the final third against Everton where I have hesitated and made the wrong decision at an important time. We've all got to work so that when we're in those positions we make the right call.
“It will come, I am convinced. We're still gelling and we're on the right road but we need to keep improving.”