Both Tottenham and Manchester United are embroiled in their own internal culture wars.
Ange Postecoglou and Ruben Amorim have not been shy about shaking up their respective clubs, making Thursday's Carabao Cup quarter-final between them an important one.
The culture at United has become bad. Once the blueprint for English football, the club must reverse the degradation of its value and achievements.
Tottenham's weakness and vulnerability are more intrinsic and go back decades. They are seen as people who lack fiber and like to be close to success, but without the inherent determination that must manifest itself to change the narrative of one trophy this century.
Their chairman Daniel Levy is criticized for being all about the money, but he will tell you that the purpose of profit is to invest in the team to redevelop the football club.
I pointedly asked him about a television documentary that will be released soon: would you rather have a small profit and win the Premier League or a big profit and finish fourth?
He said he would take the prize and less money – he knows he has to win something.
For Amorim at Old Trafford, the Carabao Cup is also his first and possibly best chance at silverware in his debut season.
Dropping Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho for the Manchester derby last weekend was similar to how Erik ten Hag initially dealt with Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho, but Amorim benefits from two things: charisma and timing.
While Ten Hag looked awkward in the spotlight, Amorim is thriving, so people are applauding his toughness.
Some managers are able to explain major decisions in a certain way. Amorim didn't throw Rashford under the bus, just pushed him aside. The English star therefore gets a fair warning, but also has the choice of whether or not to go on board.
His most recent comments suggest not – although God knows how his 'new challenge' will work. Who will pick up the remaining three years of his contract for £315,000 a week and pay a transfer fee?
Amorim knows that tolerance for United's underperforming players is over. Fans, pundits and even Sir Jim Ratcliffe are willing to make salty comments about them, so Amorim has taken advantage of this to show his authority.
There would have been no obligation for him to tell the hierarchy about his team selection, but I imagine there were conversations before his appointment in which Amorim made it clear that players would either have to fight for their place or flee.
I assume that when making the appointment, Sir Jim is happy to give the manager the space to resolve the issues.
United have reached a point where Amorim can swing into the stands, but he has been smart.
There must be a purpose for rejecting someone. If you're just doing it to get something off your chest instead of making something better, then what's the point?
I hated managers who would send me back through the media when they didn't get what they wanted, instead of telling me directly.
At the same time, what feels like welcome, refreshing honesty from the manager is judged that way because it doesn't happen often.
Amorim cannot repeatedly convey its message of form or transmission. People either get the memo or they don't.
At Spurs, Ange Postecoglou wasn't even bothered by Amorim's niceties when he called Timo Werner's performance at Glasgow Rangers 'unacceptable'. He also placed Cristian Romero in his job as the defender questioned a lack of transfer spending.
We know Spurs fans are hungry for a trophy. They are no more challenging than any other group of fans, but their club is in a unique position: huge following, great financial strength, a world-class stadium and yet still an empty trophy cabinet.
Postecoglou is trying to implement change in his own way, including firing broadsides. He wants to win a war, not the battle.
Remember his anger when some supporters wanted their own team to lose to Manchester City so Arsenal didn't win the league?
Tottenham were the modern story of Premier League participation, with reasonable spending, decent performances and plenty of headlines – but no big wins.
Ange doesn't take cover. By declaring that he always wins trophies in his second season, he is showing ambition that he knows can be used against him. I admire his position. Whether it's reckless or not, we'll find out.
If they are to end their Carabao Cup trophy drought, Spurs will have to get to work. It hasn't helped them that the Spursy name has been effectively emboldened by comments from their own managers, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.
What Amorim and Ange share is the understanding that entertainment is an important part of the modern game. They are eminently watchable in interviews and while the ultimate goal is to win, there is an element of tolerance when entertaining people along the way: smoke and mirrors.
Attractive play buys you time – which Postecoglou got – to the point where it needs to be translated into something more tangible.
So I asked Levy the crucial question: Would he trade less profit for more glory?
He has made Tottenham more than sustainable and not dependent on the individual whims of a benefactor. It is not easy when other clubs are dependent on nation states and oligarchs.
Levy's response made it clear that he wants to win trophies as much as any Spurs fan. At United, the same will apply to Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his team's supporters.
That is why there is more at stake on Thursday evening than a place in the semi-finals of the League Cup. It's about the soul of Tottenham and Manchester United that goes beyond just money.
Football is judged on wins, not just win and loss columns. It's about passion, pride and achievement. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what the great sport should be about.
Mudryk can learn from Pogba's example
As Chelsea's Mykhailo Mudryk awaits the outcome of his failed drugs test, Paul Pogba gives a warning about what it could lead to.
The former Manchester United midfielder has served an 18-month ban for a doping violation, been released by Juventus and although he is now available to resume his career, I wouldn't want to touch him with a Schipole.
Obviously he was once a good player and a World Cup winner. He has discredited himself and his private life is in chaos. I think, as a serious football proposition, Pogba is done.
I have linked him with Manchester City, but I would be shocked if Pep Guardiola thinks he is the answer to the current malaise.
Mudryk is protesting his innocence and we will have to see how his case turns out. He does not want his career to deteriorate at the level of Pogba, but it is difficult to imagine a scenario in which he does not receive a ban.
Can Fury overcome his biggest boxing challenge?
This week marks the first time Tyson Fury has stepped into a ring after losing his previous fight, making Saturday night's rematch against Oleksandr Usyk the acid test of his career.
Fury has dug himself out of many holes in and out of the ring, from being considered a joke before fighting Wladimir Klitschko, to the demons that led to drug abuse and lack of conditioning.
This is his biggest boxing challenge, but he's the kind of man you need to overcome adversity.
If Fury is an irresistible force, Usyk is an immovable object. A win would be Tyson's greatest achievement. I wouldn't bet against him.
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