Exeter fly-half Ignacio Mieres concedes the pressure will be on the Chiefs to repeat their 2011/12 heroics.
Exeter came agonisingly close to gate-crashing the play-offs in only their second season in the Aviva Premiership, with the Sandy Park club eventually having to settle for fifth place.
However Mieres, who played a key role in the club's success with 282 points in all competitions, knows expectation levels will have increased as a result.
"Everybody knows we have a big year ahead of us," Mieres told the club's official site.
"We will have a little bit more pressure than last year and we know the Heineken Cup is the top tournament in Europe.
"That is why every day the guys are in here training hard because we know we have a lot of big challenges ahead of us."
Mieres' form saw him called up for Argentina's summer Tests against Italy and France.
However the 25-year-old knows he can't afford to rest on his laurels - with Gareth Steenson, Myles Dorrian and Henry Slade all vying for the No.10 jersey.
"It's the same every year, everybody wants to play and I'm no different," said Mieres.
"Last season was good for me, but now we all start at zero and it's up to all of us to go and show the coaches what we can do.
"Last year was a good season for me because I got to play over 30 matches and I got the game time I was looking for. This year, I want to stay there and be even better, but I know I will have to train and play well."
