Tottenham Hotspur's interim manager, Igor Tudor, has been thrown in at the deep end. At the end of his first week in the job, his side will host title-challenging Arsenal in the Premier League.
Tudor will have a clearer picture of what lies ahead after watching the Gunners' draw at Molineux against bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers, but there's no question that Spurs' recent record against their north London rivals has left much to be desired.
While Spurs are at a low ebb after Thomas Frank's disastrous tenure, this reset could bear dividends, releasing the players from the constraints that have kept them so far below the level we know they are capable of reaching.
However, Arsenal are a ferocious beast, and Mikel Arteta's side will be desperate to get back on track after a disappointing run of results that have jeopardised their title charge.
Tudor cannot let that happen, and to secure all three points, the Croatian coach might want to make a bold call and drop Xavi Simons from the starting line-up.
Why Tudor might drop Xavi Simons
Last summer, Tottenham signed Simons from RB Leipzig in the German Bundesliga, and it's fair to say he had a tough time in the early knockings of the season, with content creator Ronaldo Brown claiming the diminutive playmaker had been "swallowed in the Premier League" due to his lack of rhythm and physicality.
It might help Spurs' case to make their system a bit more compact, especially in the first half. Tottenham suffer from one of the worst first-half records in the Premier League this season, 16th on that count.
Dropping Simons might feel like something of a negative move, but Arsenal have an unforgiving midfield, led by Declan Rice. The Dutchman could be a priceless weapon from the bench, injecting creativity and energy.
Moreover, this tactical tweak would give Tudor the license to reshape the Spurs frontline, giving an up-and-coming talent a shot who has been billed as the next Thierry Henry.
Tudor must unleash Spurs' own Thierry Henry
Simons is one of Tottenham's most enterprising attacking outlets, and so if Tudor is going to make such a call, he'd need to get it right, and by starting Mathys Tel in the 22-year-old's stead, he might just at that.
Admittedly, Tel isn't exactly a hidden gem in north London. The former Bayern Munich has been at the club for just over a year, and his loan spell became permanent for £30m last summer.
However, the French prospect has had a tough time in Frank's system, twice excluded from the Lilywhites' European squad. In the Premier League, he has only started six times.
A devastating finisher with dynamic and athletic movement, it hasn't worked for Tel yet, but this managerial shift could bear dividends for him, Jerman Defoe hailing him for his "Thierry Henry-like" versatility across the frontline.
Henry, of course, played his Premier League football in different north London colours, and he never lost in 11 career matches against Spurs, scoring five goals and supplying three assists.
Tel has already faced the brunt of Mikel Arteta's side, but he was also hailed as a "mind-blowing" talent by football scout Jacek Kulig when cutting his teeth in Germany, and for Tudor to give him a significant show of faith could bring him back into the ascendancy.
Tel has only scored three Premier League goals this season, but he's only missed three big chances and has won 51% of his duels. He's gifted in front of goal and has a combative edge too.
There's no question that Spurs have regressed this season. Simons is not the problem, but so far, he hasn't quite provided the solution that the board would have hoped for.
Tel, however, is one of the most promising finishers in the Premier League, and with a Titi-esque quality about him, the north London derby might just be the perfect match for him to step up under the tutelage of a new tactical mind in Tudor.