Tottenham fans got their wish on Sunday afternoon as Tanguy Ndombele was restored to the starting XI after his absence on Merseyside a week earlier.
Looking a certainty to start against Liverpool following his all-action display in the 5-0 hammering of Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League, many were left in disbelief when he was dropped down to the bench for the 2-1 defeat at Anfield.
As impressive as he has been in Europe's top competition for Spurs, his fitness has proved to be an issue since completing his club-record transfer to the club at the start of July.
Struggling to cope with the fast nature of Premier League football and Mauricio Pochettino's demands on the training pitch, the manager clearly feels that he is not quite yet ready to start two games in the space of a week.
The 22-year-old was very good in his cameo against the league leaders and he fully merited his place in the team against their Merseyside rivals.
Ndombele started where he left off across Stanley Park a week earlier as he got on the ball early on and displayed a number of flicks in the middle of the park.
Starting with a midfield two of Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko over the past 12 months, Spurs' engine room has been desperately lacking creativity but that seems to have changed with the addition of the powerful player.
The French international always looks to make things happen even though some of his attempts don't always come off as planned.
Some of his passing didn't find his intended target at Goodison and that was summed up in the first half by the ball he played with the outside of his foot that sailed out of play.
While it didn't look good at all as it was nowhere near his teammates, he at least attempted to make things happen in the final third for his team.
It was more than Christian Eriksen offered all match as the player coasted through the game when he really should have been running it for his team.
The 1-1 draw has seen Spurs jump up a couple of places to 11th but they are now a whopping 10 points behind Leicester City and Chelsea in the race for a Champions League place after only 11 games.
It has left Pochettino and his team with an awful lot to do but there is still so much football left to be played between now and May.
Key to whittling down that lead over the next few weeks will be taking chances and trying things off the cuff, something Spurs just simply aren't doing at present.
Something has to change and Ndombele could potentially be the man to spark the Lilywhites back into life after such a frustrating start to the campaign.
Tottenham have two crucial games coming up this week against Red Star Belgrade and Sheffield United and it will be interesting to see how long he will play given he only started in one game the last time they had two matches in a week.
While Pochettino may feel that he is still not capable of playing in quick succession, his fitness is improving every game and the team do look a much better side with him in the team.
This is the week Spurs need Ndombele at his very best and taking chances as they look to head into the international break with something to cheer about after a dismal past few months.
