It was late on Saturday evening when Roberto De Zerbi relayed a few of the comments he had shared with Tottenham’s players at half-time in their 2-0 win over Crystal Palace. One of those remarks was indicative of how quickly things can change.

In the knowledge that his side were 45 minutes away from a rare spot in the upper portion of the table, he reminded them: ‘We can't forget where we have been two weeks ago. Two weeks ago, before the Coventry game, we were last in the table and we can't forget.’

With Tottenham, it is always prudent to know calamity is never too far away, but for the first time in two years, there is a gathering excitement at the club - in the crowd and the dressing room.

The win over Palace was assisted hugely by Jean-Philippe Mateta’s red card after 13 minutes, but Spurs have an uncanny knack of slipping on the easier opportunities. Not this time – goals from Archie Gray and Jan Paul van Hecke punctuated a dominant performance and a third straight win. Three managers and 616 days had expired since the last such streak.

But Spurs appear to be on the march and a promising season is belatedly taking shape. To finally deliver after so many disappointments, there are certain areas where improvements must follow…

Time to get nasty…

That was De Zerbi’s own assessment of his frontline after a familiar shortcoming against Palace may have been concealed by the win. It was not lost on him that both of Tottenham’s goals were scored by defenders, nor that they had 34 shots to Palace’s two. As ever, Spurs had abundant creativity in their side but lacked a clinical edge.

De Zerbi said: ‘If we want to follow perfection, we have to be more nasty, no? That is an individual thing, because if I'm number nine, number 10, I want to score. But I can't say nothing.’

He later clarified that comment to encompass the whole side, but it was clear that the onus falls most on Dominic Solanke and Omar Marmoush.

In fairness to the pair, Palace defended so deep after Mateta’s dismissal that they had no space to operate, but one goal apiece this season is a poor return. Solanke, in particular, needs to do a better job of reading the movements and intentions of those around him – too often on Saturday he appeared a thought or two behind Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus, who both impressed in the more generous spaces out wide.

Nail down a role for Marmoush

Marmoush is an interesting case for De Zerbi. His mobility and technical ability are clear but he is yet to reveal his best position. On Saturday he was used as a No 10, having already been switched between roles on the left and up front. This experiment drew muted results.

It might be the case that a sustained run in one spot would be beneficial, but for now there appears to be confusion over where to use him. There is also a nagging thought that his best striking potential comes in a two-striker system, as shown in his most prolific period at Frankfurt, but that is not the way De Zerbi plays.

Maintain the middle

A significant improvement for Tottenham has come in midfield and, specifically, the pairing between Matheus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali.

Acquired at great cost, there was limited patience around the delivery of their impact, but time was always necessary, because De Zerbi’s system is notoriously complicated. In recent weeks, Fernandes and Tonali have shown signs that the penny has dropped on what they have to do.

This has been especially relevant in the instance of Tonali, who is very much the tempo-setter of the side on the ball and off it. On Saturday, he was excellent, or worth ‘double’ in the words of De Zerbi. There were times earlier in the season when he appeared disinterested, as if Tottenham was not the destination he had in mind, but his work rate was brilliant against Palace – he covered 12.3km, won all three of his tackles, and completed 93 per cent of his passes. He was all-action.

The same would be said for Fernandes, who covered 11.6km of ground and finessed a superb cross for Van Hecke’s goal. As a pair with Tonali, he was key to the pressing operation that limited Palace to a single counter-attack in the second half.

Team dynamics

De Zerbi struck an interesting note after the game by alluding to the cohesiveness of his side and how it has changed on the pitch. Perhaps that relates to the recent team-bonding exercise in Marbella, but more likely they just needed time to understand the complexities of their manager’s demands.

‘I think even before the innational break we were playing well,’ De Zerbi said. ‘We were playing maybe not 90 minutes, but many parts of the game we played very well. We didn't score. We conceded a stupid goal and then we lost energy. We lost spirit. We lost the right union between the players.

‘If we compare Tottenham before the innational break and Tottenham after the innational break, now we are playing as a team. Before the innational break we were playing as many very good players, but not as a team.’

Archie Gray, for one, is getting to grips with the less familiar brief at right-back. The requirements to swap spots with Fernandes, overlap Kudus or hold the advanced position are mind-scrambling, but he has adapted well. His withdrawal at half-time against Palace was down to his first-half yellow card and doesn’t detract from a salient point – he can evidently be trusted to replace Pedro Porro, or at least give the latter scope for a breather.

Make hay

Tottenham have an opportunity now. Their next four fixtures are Leeds, Ipswich, Sunderland and Fulham, with a nasty run waiting in December and early January.

If they can get something from Elland Road, the other three assignments present a rich opportunity for momentum before the tricky festive period.

One key area to improve in the short term will come against defensive sides who offer less space. That Spurs scored only twice from 80 per cent possession against Palace highlighted the issue.

De Zerbi said: ‘We are improving in the principle and the quality of play. Maybe we are not ready yet to play against such a low block but maybe in two or three months we will be.’