Right now it is very much a waiting game when it comes to Antonio Conte's future as Tottenham head coach. Amid plenty of speculation regarding a Spurs exit following the team's poor form and his explosive post-match press conference at Southampton last Saturday, the Italian remains in charge, as things stand.
That could all change ahead of their first Premier League game back after the international break, though. Following a disastrous March with FA Cup and Champions League exits coupled with poor results away at struggling Southampton and Wolves, all connected with Tottenham will be hoping that April brings some good fortune. One thing for sure is that it does need to be a very good month for the club with Champions League qualification on the line.
Currently in fourth but having played two games more than rivals Manchester United, Newcastle United and Liverpool, Tottenham cannot afford any further slip-ups or else the others could take full advantage. Spurs start April with a trip to Merseyside to take on Sean Dyche's Everton.
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Perhaps looking like a favourable fixture for the side when you take a look at the Premier League table, it certainly isn't a good game to go into given the team's current malaise. Although the Toffees are in 15th and two points above the drop zone with 10 matches remaining, their form and performances have picked up considerably under the stewardship of Dyche.
Very strong on home soil with one-goal victories over Premier League leaders Arsenal, Leeds United and Brentford, Everton's only home defeat under the former Burnley boss came at the end of February as they were downed 2-0 by Aston Villa.
Although they did suffer defeats on the road at Arsenal and city rivals Liverpool, Everton have fared well at Nottingham Forest and Chelsea recently and left with points in the bag following 2-2 draws.
Their last outing at Stamford Bridge showed their new mentality under Dyche as they came from behind twice to seal a point after Ellis Simms' wonderful finish on the cusp of full-time. Now playing with energy and a lot more purpose, Everton are making life incredibly difficult for their opponents by getting in their face and doing everything they can to maintain their place in the Premier League.
Everton are far from a soft touch under Dyche and the Monday showdown under the lights at Goodison Park could quite easily follow the same pattern of Spurs' past few results on the road unless they really are on their game.
What the Tottenham players, fans and everyone else connected with the club needs right now is clarity over what is happening with Conte. Looking like it would be the days immediately after the Southampton draw when his time in N17 would be brought to an end, we are now one week on from his press conference outburst and the situation remains exactly the same.
Tottenham could quite easily be heading for a repeat of Mauricio Pochettino's dismissal in November 2019 as he was sacked by Levy in the second week of the international break, thus handing Jose Mourinho a small window to prepare for his first game in charge at West Ham.
The first week of the break may seem the ideal time to part with a head coach as it gives his successor more days to work with the team on the training pitch ahead of their Premier League return, yet the high number of players away on international duty means there are very few players at Hotspur Way right now.
In terms of this current international break, Spurs only have Clement Lenglet, Japhet Tanganga, Lucas Moura and Arnaut Danjuma as their outfield players working at their Enfield base. That number will increase as the week goes on, especially with the likes of Fraser Forster, Eric Dier, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Harry Kane playing their second and final game of the international break on Sunday afternoon.
Coming into such a crucial game after the break in play, Tottenham players, as well as everyone else, needs to know what is happening with Conte and the Spurs hotseat as they cannot let the current uncertainty rumble on for another week and impact their preparations for next Monday's trip to Goodison Park. That will only play into Everton's hands and it could hand Tottenham another Champions League blow in the process.
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