Pochettino's family feel working wonders

Fostering a family mentality is working wonders for Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino and his team, who are fighting to win the Premier League.

Tottenham face a crucial week in their hunt for a first Premier League title, with a midweek showdown with West Ham before a blockbuster north London derby against Arsenal on Saturday.

Pochettino disagrees with the tag of favourites that some have given Tottenham, especially following Leicester City's 2-2 draw against West Brom on Tuesday, with left the Londoners just three points behind Claudio Ranieri's leaders with a game in hand.

Though, Pochettino acknowledged the club are in a strong spot.

"You cannot hide our position," he said.

"We are second in the table and the dream for all professionals is to achieve these things. We have shown character and maturity, and we also have the legs to run.

"We need to know that we are the youngest squad in the league, so full credit to them and the club. The potential is massive for the future. We are in the beginning of a great period for the club."

And a big part of getting to this position has come from Pochettino's attention to the small things, such as insisting all players greet each other and club staff, right up to chairman Daniel Levy.

"When I came to the club, maybe there were rules [put in place]," Pochettino said.

"For example, every morning, we shake hands with everybody. It was to show respect for each other; to show how you feel each morning when you meet.

"It is a small thing but it means a lot to create a real team. It shows you are interested in the people with whom you shake hands.

"It is may be a small thing but one that starts to grow in the group and a lot of things like this are important. They settle into the team and they show what we show as a team – that we are ready to fight for each other."