Tactical Analysis: Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham Hotspur

Before taking charge of Stade de Reims, Olivier Guégan took a tour across Europe to observe several training sessions and matches and get a glimpse of their respective managers's patterns and tactics. He went to Rome to study Rudi Garcia's Roma side, he went to Madrid to analyze Diego Simeone's Atlético Madrid, and he even paid two trips to England to survey Mauricio Pochettino's Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur sides.

"I was following a set-up before a game against Chelsea. [Pochettino] had taken the ten players who were to start on one part of the field, with offensive and defensive patterns. He was asking for specific things in the use of the ball on high and low blocks. It was extremely meticulous."

The learning experience has served Guégan well, the 48-year-old having managed Reims, Grenoble, and currently Valenciennes, who find themselves 11th in Ligue 2. But he is far from the only manager who has been influenced and inspired by Pochettino's body of work.

Born in the rural village of Murphy, Argentina, Pochettino began his playing career at Newell's Old Boys before leaving his home country at the age of 22, joining the recently promoted Espanyol. He quickly became a mainstay for the Pericos, leading them to their first trophy in 60 years where they would defeat Atlético Madrid in the Copa del Rey Final, before joining Paris Saint-Germain in 2001.