Danny Rose has revealed that Mauricio Pochettino informed his Tottenham stars just one day before their clash with Arsenal that they would adopt a three-man defence.
Tottenham first fielded three at the back against Arsene Wenger’s side back in November during a 1-1 draw at the Emirates, that saw Kevin Wimmer partner Eric Dier and Jan Vertonghen in defence.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live’s The Friday Football Social (7.15pm), Spurs left-back Rose revealed Pochettino’s trust in his players and used the key last-minute decision against Arsenal to highlight his manager’s faith.
“Whenever we go through a difficult period, he tells us not to panic. We all trust him to get us out of a rut if we’re struggling,” Rose said.
“It was the game against Arsenal; he literally told us the day before that we were playing with a back three, and we worked on it five to 10 minutes on Saturday before facing Arsenal on Sunday.
“That was the start of the back three. But I love playing as a wing-back – it lets me get forward more and if the ball goes behind me I know Jan (Vertonghen) or Toby (Alderweireld) will be there to cover me.”
The three-man centre-back system was used frequently by Pochettino in the second half of the season and with great success.
England international Rose failed to feature regularly this season for Spurs, as a long-term knee injury forced him to making only 21 league and cup appearances in Pochettino’s side.
Rose has now had surgery to correct the issue, which has seen Wales international Ben Davies replace the former Leeds defender for the majority of the season.
Tottenham’s number three may have even played his last game for the north London outfit, with The Sun previously reporting that Rose could join Eric Dier and Kyle Walker in leaving the club this summer.
Rose has made a huge 144 league and cup appearances for Spurs after moving to White Hart Lane as a teenager from Leeds, and has a contract with Pochettino’s side until the summer of 2021.