Defeats can inspire very different emotions; Thomas Frank's Spurs reign started with a painful but ultimately encouraging one on penalties in the Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain in August, but their most recent was delivered via an insipid display at the Emirates.
Taking heart from the nature of defeat is almost the best Spurs fans have been able to hope for in recent weeks. Three losses and a draw in their last four outings domestically, lowlighted by turgid performances against rivals Chelsea and Arsenal have left the fanbase casting unfavourable glances towards the man in the dugout.
Spurs have been hard to get a handle on during the first months of the season. Heading into the weekend they possessed both the best away record and the worst home record in the Premier League. In the Champions League they have been capable of uninspiring draws and thumping wins.
As they try to claw back some of that early season optimism that brought whispered talk of a Danish revolution in north London, Spurs now travel to face reigning European champions PSG once again -- but which version of Frank's side will we see in the French capital?
Spurs' underrated attack?
Much of the talk after their callow north London derby defeat was centred around Spurs' lack of ambition. And rightly so: an xG of 0.07 came just three weeks after their xG of 0.12 at home against Chelsea.
There is, though, an argument to say that when they can catch a glimpse of the opposition goal, Spurs are one of the most deadly teams in Europe.
They are outperforming their xG by a not-to-be-sniffed-at 9.8, meaning they have scored almost double the number of goals (29) the stats say they should have from the chances available. Frank's side have underperformed their xG just four times in 18 games in all competitions.
Take, for example, Richarlison's audacious strike from range at the weekend that saved them from drawing a blank or Lucas Bergvall's looping header that flummoxed West Ham's Mads Hermansen.
It begs the question: just where would they be without this sharp edge? Or to look at it another way, if they can create more chances, they will likely stack a heap of points.
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Opportunity to make up for Super Cup collapse?
In a similar vein to the accepted wisdom heading into Wednesday night's matchup, Spurs were not given a hope of getting the better of Luis Enrique's spellbinding PSG side back in August.
But for 85 minutes, Frank's side were set to lift their second trophy in as many games before a last-minute fightback gave the Parisians a chance from the penalty spot, which they duly took.
Intriguingly, the matches against PSG and Arsenal are the only two in which Frank has opted to start with a back five this season. Against PSG they were patient, controlled and, importantly, committed when going forward. But on Sunday they were at a loss for how to combat Mikel Arteta's seemingly title-bound side.
The system is one that Frank has often used against so-called 'bigger' teams during his career, but after the heavy criticism of his tactics last weekend, will Frank stick to selecting five at the back?
Randal Kolo Muani and Xavi Simons return to Paris
Wednesday marks a return to the Parc des Princes for two of PSG's once-heralded talents.
Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani arrived in north London just three days apart at the end of the summer transfer window as Spurs scrambled to add some much-needed depth to their attack.
Simons joined in a move that was curiously sealed only seven months after he had joined RB Leipzig in a deal worth up to €80 million with add-ons. But then, Simons' career invites a fair bit of head-scratching.
A heralded product of Barcelona's famed La Masia academy, he moved to PSG as a 16-year-old in 2019 before spending two years making his name at PSV Eindhoven. His performances caused PSG to exercise the buy back option in his contract, but only enough to send him straight out on a two-year loan to Leipzig which was ultimately made permanent in January, shortly before signing for Spurs -- told you it was a head-scratcher.
Kolo Muani, meanwhile, has also experienced his fair share of upheaval. His goalscoring exploits at Eintracht Frankfurt prompted the then-big-spending Parisians to fork out around €90 million for his signature in 2023, but he has managed just 51 appearances for the club to date. A middling loan at Juventus last season has been followed by what has so far been an underwhelming one at Spurs for a man who came within the width of Emi Martínez's shin of winning the 2022 World Cup final for France.
Both Simons and Kolo Muani have shown flashes of ability during their time in north London, but, in truth, it's rare to see players thrive after taking a step down from one of Europe's elite.