The first two months of the season are great at creating a false illusion of what a team is actually capable of. There are teams that look like they have it all worked out, and there's some that look like a group of strangers. Experience tells me that by May those two can swap places. The reason for that is the old truism that form is temporary but class is permanent - and it's often difficult to tell between the two in October.
That is why for me the most important thing I look for at this point in the season is not the performance or even the results, it's solidity, it's our defensive record since Donnarumma joined. Conceding 2 goals in 5 Prem games, 4 in 8 in all competitions - the best defensive record of any team over that time. That's a necessary foundation for a great team, and one we didn't have last year.
I think we have a great squad and some players that are still acclimatising, and there's no guarantee all of those players will be good enough. But if Reijnders, Cherki, Nico G, Ait-Nouri and a few others can find more consistency (and stay fit), then come Feb-Mar I have no doubts that we'll be back somewhere between good and great.