Tottenham have a huge clash with Manchester United this evening, on Saturday, and it could be a defining clash for Roberto De Zerbi. Spurs are bottom of the Premier League coming out of the international break, and they are remaining patient with their struggling new boss.
De Zerbi was seen as an ambitious appointment late last season, and after he kept the club in the Premier League, he was trusted to be the man to transform this team's fortunes. His squad was improved by more than £300million of new signings, which is the most spent under any manager in a single window in Spurs history, and that was a clear signal that the club believe they have the right guy.
But Tottenham are winless after five games, and they do not look good. De Zerbi isn't helped by some injury issues, although we all know the managers before him have also been hurt by injuries, and it's clear that new signings like Sandro Tonali and Omar Marmoush are yet to find their form.
But there is a non-negotiable that De Zerbi is failing to meet, and it should be concerning the Tottenham board more than any issue. That non-negotiable is a lack of intensity in this Spurs side.
Win percentages of last five Tottenham managers
De Zerbi is supposed to be Mr Intensity. His win now attitude has seen him burn out at other clubs and fall out with players aplenty, not unlike what happens with managers like José Mourinho. Clubs make the deal with the devil, so to speak with such managers, risking a spectacular fallout at some point for the reward of succeeding in the short and - if they are lucky - medium term.
But what Spurs need to be seeing under De Zerbi is that intensity to performances. Players need to be playing on the edge out of fear of being hammered by their manager, and Spurs are not currently playing like that.
If the intensity is there, but the results are not, then the team at least has a blueprint for success and the promise of turning things around, but Spurs are completely soft currently.
If the intensity isn't there, then what is De Zerbi really offering? He's not a tactical genius or a manager who has teams playing a way that other managers cannot. He didn't keep Spurs in the league with superb form or anything close to it, he just did enough, which certainly wasn't out of the question without him.
The bottom line is that De Zerbi needs to prove his value, because up to now he has not. He is underperforming, as his team is, and if Saturday night brings another flat performance devoid of intensity, this Spurs board needs to realise that the De Zerbi they hired is not the De Zerbi they are getting, and that could mean decisions need to be made.