Antonio Conte has been enjoying some rest during the international break but all of that will come to an abrupt end as Tottenham Hotspur's season suddenly cranks up.
The Spurs boss has spent some time back in Italy with his family with only a handful of first team players at Hotspur Way after most got called up for international duty this fortnight. However, the moment the squad returns to the training complex so begins a frantic period of matches for Conte and his team across all competitions.
Tottenham have 13 games in the Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup to fit in before the season takes its sudden pause for the winter World Cup in Qatar. Here is what we reckon will be on Conte's to-do list for the six weeks ahead.
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Get the team into top gear
Spurs find themselves third in the Premier League table, unbeaten in the competition and just a point off the top with only Manchester City having scored more goals than them this season. Yet at times the team has seemed off the boil and laboured in its build-up play.
The players are the first to admit that they have not yet hit the heights despite their goals and results.
"We’ve had a good start to the season, we probably haven’t played our best football but that’s a good sign to be where we are knowing we can improve, and it’s probably one of the best starts I’ve had in the Premier League," said Harry Kane.
Conte needs to find a way to push Tottenham into top gear, whether it be through a new formation - the 3-5-2 looking good late on against Leicester - a tweak to his system or a change in personnel.
Despite the team's lofty position in the early table, some fans have aired their frustrations as well over some of the performances and Conte is the first to want more.
Start rotating
Conte has constantly spoken about rotating his team but he has not needed to do so yet to any real degree. He's still building his trust in some players but this run of fixtures will leave him with no choice but to start changing up his line-up constantly with matches every three or four days.
"I try to protect my work, to protect the club and to protect the welfare of the players. For sure, in the next 13 games, we make rotation, and we make rotation in the way that I think that moment is right," said Conte. "Then if I make a mistake, I don't know, but every decision I am going to take is always an honest decision because I want to win, I want to try to put my players in the best physical condition to put the best performance for the team."
He added: "When we start to play after the international break, 13 games in a row, for sure, I will make rotation. The only thing I ask my players is to give me the possibility don't drop the level when we make this rotation. We always want a strong team because we want to fight for every competition."
Conte has already said that he will start to 'count on' Yves Bissouma, Oliver Skipp and Matt Doherty after the trio get minutes in their legs during this international break but he will have to trust more players in the weeks ahead and that includes being able to rest Kane to prevent him getting injured.
Give Djed Spence a chance
One player that Conte may have to rely on at some point during this run is one that at this point he's keeping way at the back of the queue.
With Emerson Royal's attacking limitations seemingly there for all to witness apart from Conte, the Tottenham fans are desperate to see what Djed Spence can do after his impressive season at Nottingham Forest and the 22-year-old gave them a reminder of his ability with his dynamic display for England U21s against Italy this week.
Conte has been making it very clear to anyone that will listen that Spence is a club signing rather than a transfer he requested and that the young wing-back has a lot of adapting to do to make up the difference from Championship football to the Premier League.
The Carabao Cup match at Forest may provide Spence's best chance of getting some minutes but if there's an injury to Emerson or Doherty then he must be ready to grab any opportunity that comes his way and for Conte, he must resist the urge to put a square peg into that round hole instead. Spence could just proved to be the best fit for a Conte wing-back and get into that circle of trust.
Make a statement in the north London derby
Arsenal have been getting plenty of praise this season for their performances under Mikel Arteta. Yet Tottenham are just a point behind, have not lost a game and have scored more goals.
This derby represents a good chance for Conte set his stall out and make people sit up and take notice of his team. Spurs often struggle at the Emirates Stadium and he could make a real statement if his side can come away with a positive result from the other side of north London.
Neither side will have long to prepare with their full squads as players return from international duty each day next week, particularly the south Americans.
Conte not only needs his players to be at their top of their games to quieten down the crowd quickly on Saturday but he also needs to nail his line-up and his substitutions during the game. The Italian was criticised for his in-game changes at Lisbon, but his substitutions made the difference against Leicester.
The 3-5-2 Spurs ended that game against the Foxes with might just be the key to helping win the battle against Arsenal's busy midfield.
Stay calm
Not everything is going to go Conte's way in the coming six weeks or so and what will be key is how he reacts to any difficulties.
With the rotation required, he's going to be using some players who have had very little game time under him to prepare. The Spurs head coach needs to remain calm and not bomb them out from future line-ups if they look rusty when they are first used.
Rotation with Tottenham's stronger squad is going to be key to the team managing this frantic period and the players need to feel Conte's trust. If he sticks to a familiar line-up for every match then there's going to be tired displays and injuries.
That calm needs to extend outside of games as well. Last season when things were not going so well with mixed results, Conte kept everyone on edge about his future publicly and privately. If things go slightly wrong in moments in the weeks ahead then the Italian needs to keep calm because if he starts to show disgruntlement that will quickly spread to his players.
It's a tough ask for a coach who wears his heart on his sleeve, but if he can keep his cool then his players will follow in kind.
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