Mauricio Pochettino went for power in an attempt to stifle Manchester City on Monday night but his side were unable to get enough control in the midfield area to steam the tide of visiting pressure.
That was until Harry Winks came on in place of Eric Dier on 67 minutes. Suddenly the home side had someone who could take the ball in tight space and wrestle it from City's slick playmakers.
Spurs travel to face Wolves tomorrow, where they will face another technical challenge in the shape of Portuguese midfield duo Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho.
So while Pochettino may be tempted to leave Dier in to physically test the pair, Winks must get the nod to allow Spurs to play the game on their own terms.
Despite a relatively strong performance on Monday, even Moussa Sissoko could be at risk because the Molineux assignment will require more finesse, especially as Spurs should be on the ball more often.
It would be another good test for Winks, especially up against an experienced international playmaker like Moutinho.
But he is playing well enough to handle that, if the evidence of Monday's game-changing cameo is anything to go by.