Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham Defying the Norm as They Fight on All Fronts

Tottenham Hotspur have made a handy habit of racking up last-gasp victories—helping their push for glory on four fronts—but the big question is whether it is sustainable.

Just two of their 11 Premier League wins have come by more than a single-goal margin and, while three points are three points, even the most ardent of Spurs fans must admit that they have ridden their luck at times.

Indeed, the above tweet from OptaJoe shows just how reliant Spurs have been on smash-and-grab wins, with over 25 percent of their 37 points being secured late on.

Christian Eriksen has been the chief architect of dramatic victories, netting in the 88th minute or later in a 2-1 win for the third time this season on Saturday against Sunderland.

While the White Hart Lane faithful have certainly had their fill of excitement, their side’s inability to collect points with more conviction must be a concern.

If we compare their scorelines to their top-four rivals, it appears the formula for success found by Mauricio Pochettino’s sixth-placed side is far from the norm.

Each of the five teams above them in the Premier League have won five or more games by margins of two goals or more, with leaders Chelsea triumphing by a single goal in just three of their 16 victories.

Champions Manchester City were equally as emphatic last season, winning by two or more goals on 21 occasions.

The other concerning element in the nature of Tottenham’s wins is the effort required.

While rival managers are able to rest their star men late on, Pochettino has required a full 90 minutes of effort from the likes of Eriksen and leading scorer Harry Kane to secure the points.

Back in December, as reported by the Press Association (h/t the Guardian), Eriksen suggested that his side’s new-found fitness was the key to their success:

"

You see the last few games and we’re still 100 percent ready to go at the end of the game.

Before we wouldn’t have been fit enough to go the whole game. There were periods when they had the ball and we had to play different but we had the confidence and the power to keep going for 90 minutes.

I think everybody would rather win a little bit earlier but it does give us an extra feeling.

"

While Spurs have brought their knack of late winners into the new year, it looks a big ask to maintain it with their hectic schedule showing no signs of letting up.

Along with the Premier League, they are still competing in both domestic cups and the Europa League, resulting in 56 competitive games currently in their calendar for the 2014/15 season, a figure which will only increase if they continue to progress.

Compare that to third-placed Manchester United (41 fixtures) and Southampton (45), then it appears that Spurs are at a significant disadvantage in the top-four fight.

However, Pochettino has utilised his resources to balance commitments to date, using 25 different players in all competitions this season, five more than Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.

Star man Eriksen had started just one match in Europe and sat out the Capital One Cup until the quarter-final.

In fact, if we compare the Dane to some other Premier League key players, there’s reason to suggest he should still have plenty in the tank.

• Liverpool: Raheem Sterling – 36
• Chelsea: Eden Hazard – 34
• Arsenal: Alexis Sanchez – 31
• Tottenham: Christian Eriksen - 30
• Southampton: Dusan Tadic - 28
• Manchester City: Yaya Toure – 27
• Manchester United - Wayne Rooney - 25

Spurs have been able to draw on a squad with depth and quality in abundance, providing the likes of Kane and Ryan Mason with opportunities to ignite their careers.

With the north London outfit hitting the latter stages of their respective tournaments in the coming months, Pochettino’s priorities are set to be tested.

However, given the club have finished in the top four just twice and won one cup since the turn of the millennium, it would rank as a significant achievement to succeed in any of those four competitions in the Argentinian’s first campaign in charge.

Appearances in all competitions for club and country according to Soccerbase stats.