Thankfully, Tottenham's most recent Premier League defeat feels like a lifetime ago.
That's what an international break can do, folks. It saps the life out of you. Still, such respite was exactly what Roberto De Zerbi's side needed.
With much of the senior squad remaining at Hotspur Way during the extended break, De Zerbi has more valuable time on the training pitch to, well... sort this mess out. Spurs are bottom of the Premier League table after five games with trips to Manchester United and Chelsea on the docket in October.
Things may well get worse before they improve, and those who are hiding behind the projection that De Zerbi's new-look squad will eventually figure things out will soon lose faith if our misfortune persists over the next few weeks.
Among the most pressing issues in N17 is the lack of a reliable goalscorer. With Richarlison out of the picture, De Zerbi relying on a group of attackers who are either all bark and no bite, unfit or bereft of confidence.
We chose Egyptian sharpshooter Omar Marmoush to support No. 9 Dominic Solanke on the goalscoring front, but it was clear in our previous encounter against Villa that we overlooked our potential saviour in the summer.
Nicolas Jackson is the striker Spurs should've signed this summer
For what it's worth, I like Marmoush and think he'll come good. How to maximise him is De Zerbi's biggest challenge, because he's not a back-to-goal No. 9, nor a wide player. He's in between an array of forward roles.
And Spurs probably needed what your dad would probably call a "proper No. 9".
Selling Richarlison should've been on the club's radar, but the way they and De Zerbi handled it was all wrong. With the Brazilian out of the picture, there's pressure on Solanke, who's had a wretched 2026, to deliver. He's suffered from various fitness setbacks after a promising debut season and looked miles off the pace before the break.
He and Marmoush were what the kids would describe as "mogged" by Nicolas Jackson two weeks ago.
There were tenuous links to the Chelsea striker in the summer, and he undoubtedly would've been a signing that split the crowd, not merely because of his association with our London rivals. Jackson has long been regarded as a relatively harmless "handful". He's tough to play against, but inefficient in front of goal. In fact, many would argue that Jackson is a bad finisher.
Still, the 25-year-old scored 24 times during his first two Premier League campaigns and spent last season on loan at Bayern Munich, playing in reserve to Harry Kane. I reckon Harry may have taught him a few things, because his finish against us before the break was of the highest quality.
Jackson's strike merely highlighted an outing Jan Paul van Hecke would want to forget in a hurry. Villa's new striker had his way with the Dutchman, especially as the game progressed and Spurs became more stretched in defensive transition.
He may not ever become utterly prolific, but Jackson is so good across the board. He's an excellent combiner and unrelenting when there's a channel to be run. He's a sharper, more powerful Dominic Solanke, and if Spurs had correctly identified to need to sign an outright centre-forward, they should've gone after the Senegalese star.
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