Harry Winks could be finding himself back in the same rut he was in under Nuno Espirito Santo, just as things started looking up for him.
The 26-year-old has made 21 appearances for Tottenham so far this season, with just 11 of those being in the Premier League.
In Spurs' latest victory, against Man City, Winks was side-lined and had to watch his teammates produce a solid display at the Etihad.
His place on the bench is likely to have come as a result of his poor performance in the defeat against Wolves in the previous game.
Winks improved his display in the second half but lost the ball on a number of occasions and made mistakes that he has been crticised for on numerous occasions in the past.
At the start of the season, the midfielder was struggling to get into the matchday squad every week, let alone getting regular match minutes and in October, he spoke about his future.
"Listen, I love Tottenham, I’ve always made that clear, but I want to play football. And I want to play regular football," he admitted after having featured in just two Premier League games.
"The only way to play your best football, get momentum is when you’re playing regularly.
"I want to play for Tottenham...but it is difficult when you get matches here and there, confidence is low and you don’t get that run of games. It is difficult," Winks added.
The defensive midfielder has had competition from Pierre Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp, with the latter returning from his loan spell at Norwich and returning as a mature and more experienced player, making it even harder for Winks to break into the regular line-up.
Similar to Dele Alli, the 26-year-old was linked with a move away in the January window but as his teammate has made the permanent move to Everton, Winks has remained in north London which Antonio Conte confirmed would be the case at the end of last year.
"Winksy is playing well," Conte said. "Winks has showed to be a reliable player. And for this reason, Winksy will stay here.
"I find players that are reliable, and that I can count on them and Winksy showed me that I can count on him."
Things were starting to look up for the 26-year-old with the arrival of the Italian, who was giving Winks more game time.
The midfielder scored against Morecambe in the FA Cup and produced some decent performances, including in the 3-2 victory against Leicester, where he also picked up an assist.
After the recent defeat to Southampton, Winks spoke about bouncing back after a slow start to the season.
"The manager's come in and given me a chance, given me confidence again," the 26-year-old said. "Every game I play, every training session I have that hunger to try to impress him and do everything I can to try to improve.
"Like I said before, my career at Tottenham was probably dead and buried but he's come in and given me an opportunity to show myself and prove myself."
However, just as things started to look like they were improving for Winks, along came Rodrigo Bentancur and out went the academy graduates place in the starting line-up.
Bentancur was one of Spurs' two January transfer window signings but he has already impressed with his skill and courage in his first few appearances.
In the defeat against Wolves the midfielder played alongside the new arrival, giving Hojbjerg a break, but he seemed to fall back into his old mistakes.
Winks has been criticised for his sideways passing and losing the ball in dangerous areas previously, which he seemed to have improved on in some games this season, getting balls forward and trying to add some creativity to the Spurs attack.
However, against Bruno Lage's side, these mistakes came back to the surface and he struggled when under pressure from the opposition.
I've always thought that Winks has been one of the scapegoats for fans and it is always his mistakes that he is remembered by, making any good moments go unnoticed.
The 26-year-old is clearly someone who is a confidence player and this can only be found by being given a chance to prove himself.
However when you are getting these chances and are still failing to impress consistently, the struggle to get regular game time is inevitable.
I think Winks gives his all when he plays and this season especially, he has shown that he does have some quality about him, which was something Mauricio Pochettino also clearly saw him him.
The Argentine nicknamed him 'Little Iniesta' after Andres Iniesta and Pochettino would send him clips of the former Barcelona player and get Winks to take note of the skills that the 37-year-old had, which the Spurs man could add into his own game.
However some of the 26-year-old's most recent performances for Tottenham are making it more difficult to defend him, when he can only produce decent displays once in a while.
Winks may be a defensive midfielder but Conte needs those in a midfield two or three to protect and support the back line, as well as create a link between the defensive and offensive play. Be strong in tackles, don't allow teams to play right through the middle and when the opportunity comes about, play balls to the wing-backs down the flanks or the attackers.
The 26-year-old is more defensively minded but if he can't make crunching tackles that Skipp has already done this season and Bentancur has shown he isn't afraid to do, then his defensive impact in midfield isn't at the level it should be.
Bentancur's arrival adds extra competition for spaces in the middle and Hojbjerg has already shown the leadership and maturity he can bring on the pitch.
Once Skipp returns from injury, his form this season is likely to see him move up the pecking order for a spot in the starting XI.
This leaves Winks dropping further down Conte's list and it could be another few months of waiting.
All the England international can do now is work hard off the pitch and listen to all the advice the Italian will inevitably give him so that when he is given a chance, he can impress.
If he isn't able to do this, he needs to have a serious think about what his future holds and where he wants to be, otherwise this rut may not come to an end.
