Tottenham Hotspur face their biggest game of the season to date when they face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday evening.
Tottenham have started the season poorly after taking just two points and scoring two goals in their five Premier League games, but now manager Roberto De Zerbi has had an extended international break to work on a game-plan to beat Michael Carrick's side.
The Red Devils have made a disappointing start to the campaign themselves, having only taken five points from the 15 available, but the two clubs have also gone in separate directions since Spurs were victorious in the 2025 Europa League final.
The win came just after the north London finished the season in 17th position, with United two spots ahead of them in 15th, but while Tottenham repeated that position again in the 2025-26 season, the Red Devils moved up to third and qualified for the Champions League.
De Zerbi knows he needs to improve performances and results quickly to keep Spurs fans onside following a huge summer transfer spend, with the majority of their 10 summer signings failing to make a really strong impact in a white shirt yet.
One of the problem positions for the Italian has been in the No.10 spot, with the likes of Mohammed Kudus and James Maddison not being fit enough consistently to start in the position this term.
It means that De Zerbi has used a range of other players in the role, including summer addition Mateus Fernandes, and Conor Gallagher.
De Zerbi confirmed in his pre-match press conference on Friday that Maddison suffered a small setback in the last week that saw him miss three or four days of training, and while he is available for the trip to Manchester it would be a surprise to see him start.
It leaves the No.10 position open, and the Italian dropped a big hint as to who could start at Old Trafford.
More Disappointment for Williams-Barnett
Speaking about the No.10 position ahead of the game, De Zerbi praised Gallagher for the way he has played in the role, hinting that he could be set for another start there.
He (James Maddison) is available but he lost three or four days at the end of last week. James is a special player for us. As a player and personality. Also Gallagher is playing well, especially against Liverpool and Aston Villa.
That would leave the Italian coach with the decision of whether he drops Mateus Fernandes or drops him into central midfield alongside either Rodrigo Bentancur or Sandro Tonali.
What is also clear is that the 47-year-old would prefer to play Gallagher out of position in such an important position, rather than take a risk on Luca Williams-Barnett.
The 18-year-old, whose preference is to play in the No.10 position, was one of the club's standout performers during pre-season, but it hasn't translated into first-team minutes this term.
He was named on the substitutes' bench on the opening day against Brentford and played 12 minutes against Charlton Athletic in the EFL Cup, but aside from that, he hasn't been seen in the squad.
And that is despite the likes of Maddison struggling for fitness, which will be particularly disappointing for Williams-Barnett at a time when he is looking for a first-team pathway.
There was some excitement during the international break when the teenager was part of the Tottenham first-team squad photo, with the hope that he could be included more in the matchday squads going forward.
However, if De Zerbi does go with Gallagher against United, and has Maddison and potentially Fernandes on the bench, there is unlikely to be a spot for Williams-Barnett again.
That would be more bad news for the 18-year-old, and Spurs must be careful that he doesn't begin to question his future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, just like JJ Gabriel is at Man United.