When Antonio Conte branded Tottenham his biggest challenge he then digressed to talk in depth about the need for foundations and a strong base.
The instinct of most coaches when presented with a riddle such as Spurs is to start at the back, where organisation might produce something akin to progress while trusting that there is enough talent up front to deliver goals.
Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo set about it in similar fashion before running into trouble when they tried to balance this with the inherent demand in this north London postcode for thrills and adventure.