Tottenham Hotspur have to get the full three points this weekend against Crystal Palace, because after losing many important London games this season, Thomas Frank and this Spurs side need to prove that they can beat a club like Crystal Palace, who may not be at the level of an Arsenal or Chelsea but are certainly a step above the West Ham United and Brentford sides Spurs beat.
Heading into Sunday's game, there is a lot of pressure on players in the squad to show their value and be the best they can be in order to earn more regular starts from Frank. Here are three Tottenham Hotspur stars with the most to prove to the club this Premier League weekend.
CM Archie Gray
Archie Gray has become a regular starter for Tottenham this season as Thomas Frank has slowly phased out veterans Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha. Much to the happiness of Spurs supporters, Gray has pretty much fully replaced the mediocre Uruguayan as a regular.
But we know how Frank favors the veteran players, especially Bentancur, and Gray is always one disappointing performance away from a benching from Frank. Gray needs to rule the pitch on Sunday against Adam Wharton and Palace, because this can be a statement game from the former Leeds man that he is every bit as promising of a No. 6 controller as Wharton.
ST Randal Kolo Muani
A lot of the spotlight will be on Randal Kolo Muani, who still has not fully supplanted Richarlison in the eyes of Frank, even as Tottenham supporters readily accept the Frenchman as a superior option. Richy's future sale and Kolo Muani's permanent purchase from PSG are both far from certainities, and so every game is a chance for RKM to swing the pendulum in his favor.
Therefore, Kolo Muani is always among the Spurs players under the most pressure to perform, because both his future is at stake and so is the present, given he is easily Spurs best shot at scoring goals from an all around quality perspective.
CB Kevin Danso
Obviously, Kevin Danso has a lot to prove this weekend, because Tottenham Hotspur will be without Cristian Romero due to suspension. The Austrian center back is honestly good enough to start at the Premier League level, though he is obviously not the caliber of player that Romero, who is one of the best in the world in his position, is. Danso can prove that he merits more starts and even audition to other Premier League clubs with a strong performance on Sunday.