Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Sandro Tonali has opened up about the club's difficult start to the season, insisting there are reasons for optimism despite Roberto De Zerbi's side finding themselves bottom of the Premier League.
The Italian international arrived in north London in the summer in a club-record move from Newcastle United, with Spurs reportedly paying an initial £92.5million in a deal potentially worth £100million.
Such a significant transfer fee inevitably brought huge expectations, but Tonali's arrival has coincided with a frustrating opening to the campaign for Tottenham.
Spurs entered the international break without a Premier League win in their first five matches, collecting only two points and sitting at the foot of the table.
However, Tonali believes the results do not necessarily tell the complete story of Tottenham's performances.
Speaking while away with the Italian national team, the midfielder acknowledged the negative feeling created by Spurs' results but argued that there are encouraging signs within De Zerbi's football.
"Football is very strange; in 10 days, everything can change from negative to positive," Tonali said
The midfielder suggested Tottenham's situation should be considered negative from a results perspective but more encouraging when analysing some aspects of their football.
"We're having fun and creating chances. If you don't score in football, you lose. We're not in the doldrums; we're alive and well, and we're positive."
Spurs have often reached promising areas without producing enough end product. Their attacking struggles have added pressure on a new-look squad still trying to adapt to De Zerbi's demanding style of football.
Tonali himself has not escaped criticism. The enormous fee Tottenham committed to signing the 26-year-old ensured his performances would immediately come under scrutiny, particularly given the club's wider summer spending.
Questions have already been raised about Tottenham's midfield balance, with former Spurs and Newcastle winger Chris Waddle recently suggesting several of De Zerbi's central midfield options share similar characteristics.
Tonali, Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray provide Tottenham with significant midfield depth, but Waddle argued Spurs have lacked the type of creative number ten historically associated with the club.
De Zerbi, however, has publicly backed Tonali. The Tottenham head coach recently admitted the midfielder's adaptation had not been immediate, but pointed to his previous experience at AC Milan as evidence that the Italian can need time to adjust to a new environment.
That patience could prove important as Tottenham did not invest £100million in Tonali solely for goals and assists. His ability to control midfield, recover possession, progress the ball and influence the tempo of matches was central to his reputation at Newcastle and with Italy.
The international break therefore arrives at an important moment for both Tonali and Tottenham.
It gives De Zerbi an opportunity to assess what has gone wrong in the opening weeks and work with the players who have remained at Hotspur Way.
For Tonali, international duty offers a change of environment before returning to north London for what could become a defining period of Tottenham's season.