A bumper international break arrived at just the right time for Tottenham Hotspur, even if it meant supporters had to ruminate over our current perilous standing in the Premier League table.
A 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa three weeks ago means Roberto De Zerbi's side, who hadn't scored a league goal through four games, are bringing up the rear, sparking fears in N17 of another relegation slog despite a mammoth summer splurge.
Hope remains that De Zerbi will figure things out and his new players will coalesce to stage a drastic improvement. However, October brings a couple of daunting away days, including Saturday's trip to Manchester United.
Fortunately, Spurs no longer fear trips to the Theatre of Dreams and this Man Utd outfit, who secured the most points in the Premier League last season after Michael Carrick took the reins, have endured a sluggish start to the new campaign, too.
There's an opportunity for the visitors to claim a big victory on the road and ignite their season. Here's the team De Zerbi could pick for the match.
Defense: GK Antonín Kinsky - RB Archie Gray - CB Jan Paul van Hecke - CB Micky van de Ven - LB Destiny Udogie
Pedro Porro was an injury casualty before the break, sustaining a hamstring injury in the defeat to Villa. He's certainly out of Saturday's clash, but may not miss much action thereafter. In his absence, Archie Gray will again deputise.
There have been positive updates regarding the fitness of Jan Paul van Hecke after he withdrew from the Netherlands camp with a foot injury. The Dutchman is trending towards playing this weekend, where he'll partner compatriot Micky van de Ven and hope for a more fruitful outing than he did against Nicolas Jackson.
Destiny Udogie wasn't called up by Italy, so he spent the past couple of weeks at Hotspur Way. That should see him into Saturday's starting lineup over Andy Robertson, and Antonín Kinsky is a shoo-in between the posts.
Midfield: DM Sandro Tonali - DM Mateus Fernandes - AM James Maddison
Sandro Tonali said over the break that he now feels "100% fit" after De Zerbi warned supporters about his physical condition during the first month of the season. Hopefully, the best of the Italian manifests over the coming weeks, and he should be aided by Mateus Fernandes' presence in a deeper midfield role.
Fernandes has been misprofiled as a No. 10 at the start of his Spurs career. While Rodrigo Bentancur has been useful so far, it's time for De Zerbi to use his two shiny new toys in tandem.
Dejan Kulusevski is closing in on a long-awaited comeback, and many will remember his standout performance at this ground in 2024. James Maddison was also influential in that 3-0 victory, and the Englishman must surely be ready to make his first Premier League start of the season.
Forwards: RW Savio - CF Dominic Solanke - LW Omar Marmoush
Left-wing is a problem for Spurs, but Udogie's dynamism down that flank should aid whomever earns the starting role. That'll likely be Omar Marmoush, who had a productive break for Egypt but is yet to open his account in Lilywhite.
De Zerbi doesn't quite know how to get the best out of the former Man City forward, but there's plenty of talent to work with.
If he starts down the left, Dominic Solanke will lead the line once more. The striker was pitiful against Villa and in desperate need of the break. Hopefully, he looks much sharper at the Theatre of Dreams.
Mohammed Kudus is an option for the No. 10 role but is better on the right, yet the Ghanaian is likely to play second fiddle to Sávio this weekend. There was no international call-up for the Brazilian, who'll undoubtedly receive a few jeers on hostile territory.
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