Spurs shed ‘soft touch’ image as Pochettino leaves his mark

A second-half capitulation at Chelsea handed Leicester the 2016 title, while defeats to Chelsea in the 2015 League Cup final and the 2017 FA Cup semi-final were also painful.

Most damning of all was the limp loss to Manchester United in last season’s FA Cup semi-final.

But, having seen Hazard stifled so effectively, Pochettino expects Tottenham to rise to the big occasion more successfully in future.

“It’s a huge experience for us to be more mature,” he said, with his team third in the Premier League and through to the Champions League knockout stages.

“The season we are doing is fantastic. The effort is amazing, how we run, how we compete.

“Whether we win titles or not I’m so proud of this squad.”