We really are entering the final knockings of the 2025/26 campaign. For Tottenham Hotspur, the uncertainty is agonising,
Tottenham have one of the youngest squads in the Premier League this season - and not by design. They might have a rich youth system to be proud of, but so many of Spurs' senior stars
The Londoners are in a perilous position. Even by channelling their spirit and heart and togetherness for the final few weeks, they have been shorn of creativity, with Xavi Simons' ACL rupture putting a spanner in the works for De Zerbi and his system.
How Spurs will replace Xavi Simons
Football can be so cruel. When Simons curled home against Brighton, Tottenham finally looked to have broken through their malaise and paved a road toward safety, but it ended in a draw, and a week later, the Dutchman's fate would have been sealed.
The 22-year-old has hardly been perfect since joining Tottenham from RB Leipzig for £52m last summer, but he has shown flashes of brilliance, produced moments of creative quality.
With Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison still sidelined, De Zerbi is running out of options, and may need to turn toward the academy, with Tynan Thompson among those in line for a recall.
He's not a playmaker, but Rodrigo Bentancur's return to fitness has come at the perfect time. The pragmatic midfielder has impressed over the past couple of weeks, opening up passing lanes and providing a steady presence in the engine room.
But the Uruguayan is not Simons and cannot fill his boots; Spurs need someone else to step and and provide creativity for De Zerbi's side.
De Zerbi has already found Spurs' new Simons
Tottenham need a hero over the final few weeks of the season, and after several months of struggle, Conor Gallagher might just be clicking into gear at the perfect time under De Zerbi's wing.
Gallagher, 26, arrived in north London in January, finding himself swallowed up by Tottenham's relegation plight from the get-go. The Three Lions star's hardiness at Atletico Madrid has been maintained over the past several months, but his actual quality on the field has been negligible.
But that's starting to shift. Gallagher has made headway in recent weeks, more confident and crisp under De Zerbi's management.
He's still a wide margin away from his former level in the Premier League, but Gallagher has shown before that he can create with sharpness and consistency, and now that Bentancur is back, it might just come together for a Spurs system that is undoubtedly more polished than before.
Simons is the more natural playmaker, but even saying that, the young midfielder only created five big chances in the Premier League this season, averaging 1.3 key passes per game.
A key pass is a pass that directly leads to a shot at the opponent's goal.
With Palhinha and Bentancur forming a central pivot, Gallagher is free to operate higher up the field. This could bear dividends for a Spurs side in disrepair, searching for anything they can find that might help them fight their way to safety.
During his time at Chelsea, Gallagher was even called a "Poch-era Dele Alli" by The Athletic's Jack Pitt-Brooke. You'd be hard-pressed to find many Lilywhites supporters who would share that view now, but there's no question that Gallagher has improved since Igor Tudor's dismissal.
Could he be the man to turn things around for the struggling Londoners? With so many creative options ruled out over the final few weeks, it looks like Gallagher needs to step up.