The hollowed-out Spurs backline looks it. Micky van de Ven is an irreplaceable talent and Cristian Romero, World Cup-winning centre-back, would be a big miss from any team. But let’s not forget that Dr Tottenham’s losses to Crystal Palace and Ipswich were achieved with near-full strength line-ups.

Having been browbeaten by the negativity of previous coaches having a manager who didn't dismiss the idea the team could be title challengers was refreshing.