Inter Milan coach Frank De Boer has called for more balanced assessments after his position came under pressure before the Dutchman was then lauded at the weekend.
De Boer was being tipped for an early exit from the Nerazzurri before Sunday's 2-1 win over Juventus saw his team backed as serious Scudetto candidates.
On Wednesday night, Inter travel to Empoli and De Boer does not want to read such dramatic headlines on Thursday morning, either way.
"On Saturday, on the eve of the Juventus game, you were saying I was dead and now you are asking whether we can aim for the Scudetto," De Boer said at a news conference. "I think that it's a very long season and before asking what titles can be won we need to wait until the final four or five games of the season."
The former Ajax coach nevertheless intends to have his team in contention at the end of the season, and a win over Empoli would consolidate the three points earned at the weekend and give them a better indication of how far they can go.
"Following on from the game against Juventus, it's crucial that we apply the same approach against the smaller teams," De Boer said. "We'll have a better idea of where we are in our development after the Empoli game.
"We need to continue with the same mindset and take things one step at a time. We'll only understand how far we've gone in the last few matches of the season.
"We have a really strong squad and we have to show it all the time, both in training and in games. The players have quality, but that doesn't account for anything unless you're prepared to put the effort in. Talent cannot exist without hard work."
Eder told Inter Channel that the win against Juve has boosted the team's self-esteem and the Portugal striker says the Nerazzurri can "beat anybody."
"We're happy because it was a top-drawer performance and slowly but surely we're managing to deliver what the coach wants, and we're pleased by this," Eder said. "Now we know that we've got to improve, even if the win over Juve gives us confidence for the future.
"We now need to show that we don't want to take any steps backwards and if we can maintain this mentality, we can beat anybody. There are 34 games left so it's too soon to say where we could go, but all I can say is that we're strong and if we can keep this mentality even against the smaller clubs, we can cause problems to everybody."
That belief is shared by club president Erick Thohir, who paid the club's Pinetina training ground a visit on Tuesday prior to returning home to Indonesia.
"[Club owners] Suning, I and the directors believe in this project," he said. "De Boer believes in his team and we have a competitive squad."