Saturday's clash with Everton may not be as existentially significant as our previous meeting in May, but Tottenham Hotspur are nonetheless desperate to breathe life into their 2026/27 campaign.
We at least stopped the rot at Nottingham Forest last weekend, having kicked off the fresh Premier League season with back-to-back defeats.
The stalemate at the City Ground means Spurs still haven't scored a top-flight goal through 270 minutes of action, yet there were encouraging signs against an opponent that will almost certainly be tough to beat under Oliver Glasner.
Expectations were lofty for the Lilywhites in Roberto De Zerbi's first full season at the helm. Curiously, though, those who projected a major leap off the back of two consecutive 17th-place finishes have also slandered the club's summer business after a record-breaking outlay. Supporters are ultimately content with the bulk of Spurs' work, but were left underwhelmed by the conclusion.
Our defence has supposedly gotten weaker, and the addition of the now-injured Mykhailo Mudryk means our frontline doesn't quite boast the quality in depth that we thought it might've. Still, there's far more talent at De Zerbi's disposal compared to six months ago, when he inherited a sinking ship, and it's evident that Spurs are currently in the midst of a sticky 'gelling-in' process.
It's going to take time for this iteration of the Lilywhites to purr, but that doesn't mean we have a right to meander through the season's beginning. Scarred by last season's relegation scrap, it won't take long for panic to set in.
Everton are the ideal opponent for Spurs after slow start to new season
Fortunately, Spurs have been blessed with the perfect fixture to ignite their campaign.
Everton have won in N17 just once since 2010, and the victory arrived on the opening weekend of the 2020/21 season. At that time, the world was still upside down. The Covid pandemic meant there were no supporters inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and the Toffees were led by a Carlo Ancelotti/James Rodríguez double act. Bizarro.
Since then, Spurs have won all five home meetings and conceded just once.
While the club prepared for the most important fixture in its modern history, we took solace in knowing that it was the Toffees offering resistance. I think the two clubs see a lot of themselves in one another, and that's facilitated an unofficial mutual respect between supporters.
We've both had our time in the sun, and we've long toiled against a historically more powerful and successful local rival.
I'm not suggesting that Everton are pushovers, nothing of the sort. They just tend to suffer on their trips to North London. Victories over the Gunners are similarly rare.
And while David Moyes' side enter Saturday's contest buoyed by Ainsley Maitland-Niles' stunning equaliser against Manchester United last weekend, a woeful end to their summer window means anarchy is bubbling at the Hill Dicky. Moyes has been left with two senior full-backs and the erratic but talented Thierno Barry to lead his line until January.
Everton supporters are seldom content, but they're particularly irate at the moment, despite their productive start to the season. They're waiting for a fuse to be lit, and perhaps a familiar-looking defeat at Spurs will do the trick.
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