Tottenham are a team in transition, but they are a team spending like they mean it. Roberto De Zerbi has thrown £237 million at this squad since March, and four of his six summer signings are projected to start. That is ambition. That is intent. But there is a catch — fitness. Pedro Porro, Mohammed Kudus, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie all finished preseason without a single minute. That is a problem. De Zerbi's high-wire act needs his full-backs and his pressers at full throttle, and right now he is patching up a squad that is already leaking oil. The recent opener at Brentford was a grind — a 0-0 or a draw feels like the kind of result that leaves you wanting more, and the history shows we backed the draw there, twice. That tells you Spurs are not yet clicking, but they are not losing either. They are solid, organised, and dangerous in flashes.

Newcastle, meanwhile, are a team with a new voice. Matthias Jaissle has come in and is trying to build something, but the injury list is doing him no favours. Joelinton and Burn are out. Livramento is doubtful. Osula is doubtful. That is a spine missing its muscle and its legs. The Magpies looked lively in patches against Liverpool in their recent opener — that 2-0 loss at St James' Park showed fight but not enough quality. They created chances, but they could not finish. And now they travel to North London, where the crowd will be buzzing and the pressure will be on. Newcastle are not in a crisis, but they are not in a groove either. They are a team searching for an identity under a new coach, and that is a dangerous place to be when you are away from home against a side with Tottenham's talent.