Our surge management was superb

Tottenham Hotspur are currently the joint best performing side in the top tier European leagues, England, France, Spain, Italy and Germany.

Our lads have taken 16 points from the last six Premier League games, as have Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and Napoli in Serie A.

Remarkably we have not conceded a goal in open play in 7 games and have only conceded 3 overall. The side we have now, the squad, is a world away from the mentality of squads we had before. The work rate yesterday was phenomenal. Sissoko was huffing and puffing at half time and I suspected our intensity might drop a bit.

It was a delight to see us start the game fast and after that initial surge of energy that got us in front we could start to manage our work rate a little. Every ball can not be pressed for 90 minutes, you have to decide collectively when you are going to press in the way we did and when you are going to conserve energy and build a shield in front of goal.

I though that aspect of our game management was superb and we stood firm in the last third of the game when they started to have chances. Alderweireld and Vertonghen were magnificent at the back, Walker and a tiring Rose generally stopped supply lines by rushing out to their man faster than usual.

Every man played his part, pressing doesn't work unless the whole team are in on it and up for the fight. There must be some very tired players right now and it will take them a couple of days to recover from that. Today is a travelling day as fly fly out to join their various national squads for the international break.

Danny Rose was promised by Mauricio Pochettino he would make him an England player and he is now a fixture in England squads under 3 different managers now. He joins Kyle Walker, Eric Dier and Dele Alli for the England games against Malta on Saturday and Slovenia on Tuesday.

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