The Europa League has been a respite. And victory tonight against Elfsborg will see Spurs in the final eight - thanks in no small way to last week's win at Hoffenheim. A campaign that had initially been used to test fringe and youth teamers, has taken on greater importance as Ange Postecoglou went with his old guard in Germany. A run of one point from their last five Premier League games forcing the manager to play the percentages. And thankfully, for his sake, the senior players delivered.
But that was last week. On German soil. Days later and Spurs collapsed at home against a struggling Leicester City team. Injuries, it must be highlighted, again taking their toll, with Hoffeneheim's man-of-the-match James Maddison's absence a clear blow.
But it was Leicester. At home. The Foxes went into the game inside the bottom three. No matter the team Postecoglou would cobble together, it should've been good enough to win on the day.
In the aftermath, Ruud van Nistelrooy was careful with his words, but did infer his players simply wanted it more.
"The winning feeling we share in the dressing room together, the football we tried to play, the goals we scored," declared the Dutchman. "In the end it is a dramatic 10 minutes where we had to survive, players were putting their heads in to block shots and were winning tackles. They wanted this, we needed it and they lived up to it today."
Of course, Van Nistelrooy's focus was on his players. His team. But it was a clear on the day, a passionate Leicester simply out-fought the hosts. After the strong showing in Germany, the senior men Postecoglou needed to stand up again went into their shell.
Of course, over the past week the headlines have been screaming about 'player discontent'. Doubts about Postecoglou's tactics. His training methods. It's one thing for a Jamie O'Hara to demand the Aussie change his ways. But the message takes on a different impact when it's coming from the dressing room.
Expected? Inevitable? Of course. After all, this is Tottenham. This is the culture. The same culture that saw Jose Mourinho sacked the week of a League Cup final and Antonio Conte shown the door after his rant against an underperforming dressing room. The whispers. The moans. It was always going to happen. It was always going to reach the press. The question is, will Daniel Levy and his board crumble just as they did in the past?
For this column, there shouldn't even be a debate. And from the noise coming out of Spurs, it does appear management are standing by the Australian - as they should. The injuries have been a factor. But this goes beyond the queue to the medical room.
Tottenham have clearly taken a different path under Postecoglou. Lucas Bergvall. Andy Gray. Antonin Kinsky. These are all players signed with an eye for the future. Players for Postecoglou to coach and develop. And most significantly, to fit into his system. Wilson Odobert. Min-heoyk Yang. Again, players with potential. Exciting potential. But not the type that anyone should expect an instant impact from.
This is the market approach. The squad building approach. It's clear Spurs are attempting to build a team under the guidance and management of Postecoglou. Even with Dominic Solanke, at 26, it can be argued his best years are ahead of him. They haven't said it out loud (and perhaps they should), but this is a Spurs team clearly being rebuilt.
Indeed, even with a full contingent to select from, this column would argue Spurs would still suffer from inconsistency. They may not sitting 15th on the Premier League table, but results like Leicester would still happen. Gray, Bergvall, Mikey Moore and Pape Sarr. You can't expect them to carry a Premier League team. They'll do it in flashes, but they're not going to drive a team through a full campaign.
But this is the approach the board has decided upon. Even with Postecoglou making 'quiet' urgings in past pressers about the need to add experience to his squad, the transfer policy has remained. As we say, it would be of benefit to Postecoglou if someone making these decisions, like Johan Lange, would get himself in front of the sticks and confirm this approach.
In the meantime, the manager is getting it from all sides - including internally. The outside noise, you can see Postecoglou can handle. But this is Tottenham. And as we've warned in the past, there is that fifth column always ready to get in the ear of Levy when things aren't going as planned.
"We had games where we showed perfect football, football that not many teams can play," declared Deki Kukusevski ahead of tonight's Elfsborg tie. "We played beautiful games against (Manchester) United, City away 4-0. I think he is the right man. We want to win for him... I have to fight for him because I believe in that football too. I think he is the right man."
Nice words from the Swede. But you do hope more is being said inside the dressing room. If the players really believe in the manager. In his way of playing. Then they need to stop the whispers. Otherwise it'll be Mourinho and Conte all over again...