'Fascinating challenges' not 'dark reminders'
It is, perhaps, appropriate that Tottenham have had time to pause and think before they launch into the next three games.
Having been thoroughly trounced at Newcastle United, it would have been perilous to embark on preparations for games against Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool straight away.
Spurs have tension, history and unresolved issues with all three of the teams they face next.
Ange Postecoglu has been desperate to shed so much of the baggage that the side has been weighed down with in the past.
His studious avoidance of questions about Champions League qualification is the most obvious attempt to draw the sting out of many of the jabs that have ground down Tottenham's spirits in times gone by.
So much of what has been surprising and joyous about Spurs this season has been their refusal to obey many of the football laws of gravity that have applied in north London for too long.
In covering Tottenham for two decades, I have always noted that there is usually a week, in the final third of the season, that defines a campaign.
In the past it has been in the latter stages of cup competitions or tricky ties in Europe. This time, it is all about the Premier League against familiar, haunting opponents.
The 'old Tottenham' may well be dead. In which case, the 'new Tottenham' that is still emerging will need to approach the next few days as fascinating challenges, rather than dark reminders of limitations of the past.
