Seven points against Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool sees Tottenham hitting form just in time for Juventus

Spurs have taken seven points from three very difficult games as they look back to their best

Pochettino has his team playing well at exactly the right time (Getty)

Mauricio Pochettino knows that his Tottenham Hotspur team are in their groove. He has seen it in their last three Premier League games, three of their best performances of the season against Manchester United, Liverpool and now Arsenal. He has seen something change in the last two weeks, a new familiarity and confidence in his players, as they find their stride again.

It has come at the perfect time, with Tottenham going to Turin this week to face Juventus, their first Champions League knock-out game since they met Real Madrid in the quarter-finals seven years ago. This run of games was always going to define Spurs’ season, and it could have knocked them off course in the two competitions Pochettino cares about the most. But instead they have risen to the challenge with their best football of the season.

It began at Wembley on 31 January as Spurs steam-rolled Manchester United, winning 2-0 and destroying a far better-resourced side with their energy and confidence. Then they went to Anfield and imposed their own game on Liverpool, which is no mean feat, even if they needed a manic conclusion to rescue a point. Then, on Saturday lunchtime, they hosted Arsenal at Wembley, tore them to pieces and were unflattered by the 1-0 scoreline. Three big games, three big performances, seven points and a reminder of how good Tottenham are when they are on it.

Speaking at Wembley on Saturday afternoon, Pochettino was delighted with how his players have met this month’s challenge. “After United, Liverpool and now Arsenal, this was a very tough period. All big teams, so I think we showed great maturity, great character and the performance was so good. For me, it has been one of the best periods since I’ve been at Tottenham.”

And so Pochettino knows that when he takes the team to Juventus he will not have to change much. “Today my idea is to keep playing the same well, to try and be a little bit braver if we can, but being clever because their level is one of the best in Europe. Watching the last few games, we are comfortable in the way we are playing and the shape we use,” Pochettino said.

“I think the players know we don’t have to change too much and in the last three Premier League games they have started to feel good. It is important sometimes not to change too much. When you change or rotate it’s because you want to provide more freshness to win, so first we must assess and see.”

Juventus will provide a different challenge: they have won six straight Serie A titles, and lost the Champions League finals in 2015 and 2017. But the team that beat them in Cardiff last June was Real Madrid, who Spurs took four points from in this year’s group stage. So why can’t they beat Juventus over two legs?

“When you beat Arsenal or United it means you have the quality to beat big teams in Europe, too,” Pochettino said. “Of course, Juventus is a great team, one of the best in Europe and they have a lot of experienced players who know what it is to compete in the Champions League – in three seasons they have played two finals. For us, we don’t have that. But our belief, our confidence, our form are good and we will be ready to very competitive.”