Two consecutive victories can change the mood around a squad, but the third match often exposes whether the improvement is structural. Tottenham must reproduce the intensity, pressing and attacking clarity that have driven their recent recovery.
The significance of the streak is psychological as well as tactical:
For De Zerbi, the challenge is to make positive performances repeatable rather than isolated.
The Italian’s teams are typically built around controlled possession, aggressive positioning and calculated risk in the first phase. That approach can give Tottenham territory and attacking numbers, but it also demands concentration when possession is lost.
Palace are likely to test that balance with quick transitions and direct running. Spurs cannot afford a loose build-up or a drop in intensity after taking control. Their ability to defend the space behind the midfield may be as important as their work in the final third.
The longer gap since Tottenham last managed three straight league wins has become part of the story around the club. The report says this weekend could finally bring an end to that unwanted sequence, but Palace will not offer a ceremonial occasion.
A win would strengthen the sense that De Zerbi is establishing a clearer identity and moving Spurs beyond short-lived recoveries. Another uneven display would leave the progress open to interpretation.
The result will shape the next phase of Tottenham’s season. Victory would raise expectations ahead of the following league fixture; failure would keep the question simple: have Spurs really turned a corner, or merely started another temporary upswing?