Tottenham Hotspur need a manager. If that was not already clear, then their showing on Sunday made it abundantly so.
Cristian Stellini could not have looked more out of his depth than when he deployed Antonio Conte's team in a starting back four, despite both full backs being natural wing backs, and the centre backs having seldom played in such a system.
It took him just 23 minutes to revert back to their natural formation, but by that point, five goals had already sailed past Hugo Lloris. It was one of the most embarrassing halves of football in Spurs' Premier League history, and only exacerbated Daniel Levy's failures that had led to such a point.
Despite having been coached by both Conte and Jose Mourinho within the last three years, it seems defensive solidity still escapes the Lilywhites.
It is a wonder how they have been involved in a battle for top four at all this season, although that ship now seems to have sailed. They are now six points adrift having played a game more than Newcastle United, who were the perpetrators of Sunday's massacre.
Shipping six goals to a team that were only recently beside them in the table only exacerbates the issues that have plagued this side at the back, as their 51 goals conceded is among the worst in the division. Only five teams have shipped more, all of whom are 15th and below.
Levy needs to buck his ideas up this summer, but his first port of call must be to find a new boss who can add at least a little bit of solidity without relinquishing all offensive threat.
With Mauricio Pochettino seemingly closing in on a move to Chelsea amid other links to Spurs, the outstanding alternative has to be Roberto De Zerbi.
Do Roberto De Zerbi's teams defend well?
Having inherited Graham Potter's high-flying Brighton and Hove Albion outfit, the Italian has managed to take them to new heights as they remain firmly in the European picture.
However, what is most impressive is that the 43-year-old has the Seagulls playing stunning football with an unflinching backline that has conceded just 37 goals. The gulf in defensive quality is vast between them and Spurs, although on paper their players are no better.
This is a figure that only the top three and Chelsea can better. For comparison, even with a squad far greater than any other in Ligue 1, during his last season at Paris Saint-Germain his side conceded 36 goals; not too dissimilar from Brighton's current season.
Employing a fluid 4-2-3-1 shape, it is certain that Levy would have to allow the new man time to gut the squad, who proved on Sunday that four at the back was not within their skillset. However, to collapse in such a fashion was more down to a mentality issue than any tactical shift.
This is a squad full of spineless and toothless duds, who De Zerbi must cleanse should he continue his success at a new club.
A former player of his, Andrea Orlandi, had detailed just how impressive the coach could be if handed time and resources:
"De Zerbi is kind of a football genius in Italy. He was a bit of a rebel as a footballer. An attacking midfielder, a quality player, never really fulfilled his potential and then as a coach he is a student of the game.
A key point was that the Spaniard also described him as "Guardiola-esque" in his play style, with the Manchester City coach being one transformative manager Levy would love to have in his dugout.
As a more than capable alternative, De Zerbi can solve their biggest issue at the back by translating his tried-and-tested philosophy onto a squad which he would seek to overhaul this summer.
