Tottenham stars forced to wrestle team medic in training by boss Mauricio Pochettino
Spurs chief turns to unique methods in order to boost his players' upper-body strength and cardiovascular fitness
TOTTENHAM have wrestled with the mantle of title contenders admirably - by grappling each other in training!
The key for Mauricio Pochettino's men in last season's title charge was their superior running and overall top-notch stamina.
But strong suits can always be improved, at least, that's the logic of Spurs' Argentine boss.
And Poch has turned to a somewhat abstract method in order to get his stars fitter and stronger - by forcing them to wrestle.
The Tottenham chief is said to be frustrated by his side's late-season collapse, blaming tired legs rather than tired minds for the slump.
In a bid to keep them strong until match 38, he's employed a 'burly member of the club's medical team', according to , to sit on the players and pin them to the ground.
The Spurs stars, including Kane - no, not the WWE ace Harry - then have just one minute to wrestle themselves free.
Wrestling has formed a major part of the club's drills in training this season - with the players even competing to see who can release themselves from the medic quickest.
According to reports, the member of staff is so intimidating, players have referred to him as a 'cage fighter'.
Pochettino is no stranger to unconventional methods in his bid to give his players an edge over the rivals, particularly from a fitness standpoint.
However, the Argentine's training madness has been criticised before on a number of occasions, most recently of which came at the conclusion of the 2015-16 campaign.
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After the late-season capitulation, Dutch coach Raymond Verheijen laid the blame solely at the feet of Pochettino, claiming he was pushing players too hard in training and causing them to burn out.
Verheijen said: "Spurs' 16 points in last 11 games of season is a typical pattern for a Pochettino team. It happened at Southampton and his first season with Spurs.
"Over the course of the games against West Brom, Chelsea, Southampton and Newcastle, Tottenham conceded six goals in the last 20 minutes.
"However, Spurs have already decided that this has nothing to do with the training regime. So, it will probably happen again next season.
"This is why even the best managers in football keep making the same mistakes. They are not critical enough towards themselves and prefer denial."
Ouch. But are Poch's 'Smackdown' style tactics the future, or is it only going to cause more problems for Spurs?
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