Owen Coyle feels Bolton have finally reached a point this season where there is genuine competition within the squad for starting spots.
Wanderers have been hit by injuries to several key players this term and have found themselves struggling near the bottom of the Barclays Premier League.
The casualty list has begun to ease over the last few weeks, though, and Coyle has strengthened his group by bringing in three new signings during the January transfer window.
The team's results have improved, with only one loss being recorded in eight games in all competitions prior to last weekend's 2-0 league defeat at Norwich.
"I think it is the first time that we have had real competition for places. We all know the injury list we have had and the quality within that injury list - we had probably five players who would be guaranteed to start in our team missing at the start of the season," Coyle said.
"Bit by bit we are getting one or two back. We still don't have Stuart Holden (knee) or Lee Chung-yong (broken leg) but we are getting one or two back, we have brought in some fresh faces in January - some young, exciting players - and when you add that to the mix, there is real competition for places.
"Now players know they are going to have to be at their very best because, if they are not, and it might only be for one game, then there is room for manoeuvre in terms of making changes."