LONDON -- Mauricio Pochettino says he did not instruct Tottenham to play in a different way in the statement performances against Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and Liverpool, attributing the change in approach to a "spontaneous" reaction from his players.
Under Pochettino, Spurs have always tried to play with a high defensive line, dominate possession and suffocate opponents by playing aggressively on the front foot. His philosophy has largely been successful but they looked naive in Europe last season and, notably, in a 2-0 defeat at Liverpool in February.
Pochettino's approach appeared to change in the Champions League games against Dortmund and Real, and Sunday's 4-1 win over Liverpool in the Premier League. In the 3-1 win against Dortmund, Spurs had just 32 percent possession, and scored twice from quick counter-attacks. Similarly, they defended uncharacteristically deep -- often in a back-five -- in the 1-1 draw at Real, finishing with 34 percent possession. And they had 36 percent possession against Liverpool, again scoring two early goals on the break.
Spurs travel to Manchester United on Saturday, having lost the last three meetings at Old Trafford 1-0, but far from claiming he had devised a new plan to win the big games, Pochettino explained that Spurs' opponents had 'forced' them to alter their tactics during play.
"That is a difficult question," said Pochettino. "We signed a lot of defensive players and we need to use them. We only signed one striker. That is part of my answer.
"Then it is only trying to find the best balance. We played against Swansea with the same system that we used against Real Madrid. When you play against the big teams, you want to have possession of the ball, but if they force you to go deeper and play in a different way, that is about power on the pitch.
"One thing is the plan. Another is when you play how the opponent forces you to play," he continued.
"Sometimes you play a team and you force them to play deeper and go on the counter-attack, when their plan was to have possession and to force us [back]. Then it's a fight, about who has the possibility to force the opponent to do what you want.
"The most important thing is the flexibility to play, that you can play on the counter-attack, deeper, or you can play pressing high and in possession. To have different options to play is always good and then it's about how the game is going.
"Sometimes you need more possession, sometimes you need to force them to play deeper, and sometimes it's better to close down, don't give them space to run [in behind]. It's a different strategy, different plan, in the game."
After the win over Dortmund at Wembley, Harry Kane -- who will miss the trip to Old Trafford with a hamstring strain -- admitted that Spurs had been forced back and said that Pochettino had instructed them to push-up at half-time.
The manager explained that it is difficult to change tactics once a match has started, and said it was down to the players to use their intelligence to adapt.
"Football is about intelligence, it's about having a plan and changing it if it's not working. That is the most difficult thing to do.
"When you design a plan, in your mind that is something that is going to happen. I think during the game it's difficult to change. It depends what happens during the game. But to have that possibility to change in two faces, playing in possession, pressing to press high or to play a little bit deeper to then play on counter-attack, it's very important to have different options that happen very naturally, a spontaneous situation like this," he said.
In the wake of Tottenham's thrashing of Liverpool, Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has taken flak for not attacking the hosts in the dour 0-0 draw at Anfield on Oct. 17.
Even with Spurs missing Kane, Mourinho could decide to shut up shop again on Saturday. But Pochettino does not believe the Portuguese has ever played for the draw.
"I don't believe any manager ever plays for a nil-nil draw. I think every manager designs a plan to try to win the games. I never saw in my career as a player that a manager says to me, 'We are trying to finish the game 0-0.' The difference is, sometimes in the circumstances of the game, I am happy with the draw or you take some risks or less risks, but I don't listen too much," Pochettino said.
"I only watch and try to make my own opinion of what happens in the game. Of course we analyse every single game but I think Manchester United versus Liverpool was a game where the possibility for both teams was open. Manchester had the chance to win the game and Liverpool too."