Tottenham Beat Middlesbrough as Mainstays Help Sustain Premier League Momentum

It might sounds like a dance craze, but in the eyes of Tottenham Hotspur fans, it has come to represent valuable parts of their club's squad committing their futures.

The #PochettinoPose is that of Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino putting his arm round the shoulder of one of his players for an official photograph announcing their contract renewal. The north Londoners have deployed them throughout his two-years-and-counting tenure, but the recent succession of announcements has brought it burgeoning notoriety in the football media.

Bleacher Report's social media team has certainly pounced on it, while Sky Sports' Soccer AM offered its own humorous take before Spurs' 2-1 win over Middlesbrough on Saturday. So long as the team keeps on doing well, though, for supporters it will mainly be an indication the right moves are being made to keep everything in good shape.

Two-goal hero Heung-Min Son earned the headlines at the Riverside Stadium, his second brace in a fortnight sandwiching a great display in the win over Sunderland in between. The involvement of striker Vincent Janssen in both goals will be a nice boost for his confidence as he covers for injured star Harry Kane.

The recent contract signees who were involved against Middlesbrough more than played their part too.

The work of Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen and Kyle Walker—with a nod to late substitute Harry Winks' enthusiasm seeing the win home—has helped sustain Spurs' Premier League unbeaten run and general momentum ahead of the forthcoming mouthwatering meeting with league leaders Manchester City.

That starting trio especially arrived at their deal-renewals from different points. Here, they were very much part of a team on the same page.

"I want to say a big thank-you to the chairman and the manager for putting their faith in me," said Walker, per Tottenham's official website. "It's been a long stay here but a very enjoyable one. I'm fully enjoying it."

The obligatory photo with Pochettino is probably as much about differentiating each new announcement given much of the sentiment in the accompanying statements is similar (comparable beats were hit when his previous contract was confirmed in 2013). However, as the 26-year-old noted, recalling the rivals for the right-back position he has competed with, his Spurs stay has been a lot longer than some of his peers.

"I remember at the time there was myself, [Kyle Naughton], Pascal Chimbonda, Chris Gunter, Vedran Corluka and Alan Hutton, so a lot of right-backs to get past," he said of his initially signing for the club in 2009. "I had to bide my time, but I believed in myself and worked hard on and off the field to get to where I am now."

Where he is now is part of a defence striving to prove last season's status as one of the top-flight's best was not temporary.

It is so far so good in that regard.

Spurs have only conceded three times in six matches, the fewest in the division so far. None came in open play, either.

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With the first against them a well-struck but somewhat fortunate free-kick by Everton's Ross Barkley that bypassed everyone in the season opener and the second a penalty from Liverpool's James Milner, there was little Walker and his fellow defenders could do.

Even Middlesbrough's goal—Ben Gibson heading in Stewart Downing's free-kick at the back post—was more on midfielder Moussa Sissoko getting caught underneath the more determined defender.

Tottenham were finding their previous dominance in the contest threatening to turn against them at that point. Walker had conceded a free-kick shortly before when he handled the ball, believing he had won a foul off Cristhian Stuani.

The Lilywhites saw things out, playing with the same composure and determination that had seen them do so well asserting themselves earlier in the game.

Walker will have tougher days than this. Nonetheless, the maturity and focus he will need against Manchester City, not to mention CSKA Moscow in the Champions League on Tuesday, was still evident in his understanding of the job at hand.

Moving forward into his new contract, his manager will need him, as one of the more experienced players, to maintain these qualities. Key to it all is a familiarity of the jobs asked of his team-mates.

When Spurs play out through goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, often to Walker's nearest centre-back Toby Alderweireld, he pushes up to force the opponent back as a defensive midfielder drops to allow play to move wide. One combination before half-time had him forward to receive a long Alderweireld pass, heading it to Sissoko before cleverly finding Alli with a flick thereafter.

Defensively, Victor Wanyama covered for Walker when one ball went beyond down the flank. Soon after, the full-back was back in place tracking Downing after initially engaging him further forward. After the interval, he helped maintain the shape that did enough to stifle and resist Boro's attempts to unsettle them.

Spurs left as little as possible up to chance in the north-east.

The same was true in signing Alli up to his second contract extension since the start of last season, tying him up until 2022 rather than 2021.

That extra year may not count for much if he decides he wants to leave before then, but it's better safe than sorry on Tottenham's part. The hope will be the extremely talented 20-year-old will be sufficiently influential in creating success that he has no desire to move on.

Alli was typically active against Middlesbrough.

He lined up in central midfield alongside Wanyama in the absence of the injured Mousa Dembele. It is not the first time this season that circumstances have dictated his nominal deployment in a role he had not played since early last season.

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His natural attacking tendencies and the home side's general struggle to stop Spurs in the first-half meant he got forward just about as much as usual anyway.

Statistically, there was not a lot that stood out. His pass-completion rate read as 79 per cent, he completed just one take-on and two of his four shots were off target, according to Squawka.

Anyone who has watched Alli enough will know his game is just as much about the energy he instils as it is specific moments of production. Middlesbrough were as unsettled by that as much as anything.

Getting into the Boro box, Calum Chambers needed a big header to clear a cross with Alli lurking. Alderweireld threatened to play Alli in with their familiar combination a couple of times, a quarterback going long to send his wide receiver into the end zone.

Alli encouragingly switched it up too. Eriksen was just offside for one through ball of his. Elsewhere, Janssen and Son benefited from a willingness to get forward in support that was not at the expense of his defensive duties.

There was plenty more such endeavour after the interval. Alli will be grateful the home side's brief resurgence was just that, having skied an effort just before the interval when Eriksen had set him up after tackling a dawdling Chambers.

"It's a very good group of people, players who connect with each other, staff who connect with the players and we all have an idea of where we want to go, and hopefully we'll achieve it," Eriksen told Spurs' official website upon extending his contract.

The camaraderie among the players is clearly among the reasons so many have been keen to sign up again. Similar was true of the youthful group featuring the likes of Michael Dawson, Ledley King, Jermaine Jenas and Aaron Lennon that took Tottenham into the upper echelon of the Premier League around the turn of the decade.

The current renewals are all the more noteworthy for coming under a manager whose clear and demanding vision is sometimes at odds with the notion of team spirit. For instance, take the following post-match analysis amid the post-match, social media-documented bonhomie of the players.

"We wanted to follow in the same way in the second half but be more aggressive, more focused," Pochettino told Tottenham's official website, also regretting missed chances such as the aforementioned Alli one that could've put the game to bed. "I'm not so happy in the second half because we lost that half 1-0, but we need to look forward, improve and learn."

Pochettino expects a lot of his team, on and off the pitch. That is definitely true with Eriksen, a player he has help developed from a talented playmaker into a fully functioning part of a tough, relentless outfit.

The Dane's effort against Middlesbrough was very much one of a player who knows as much. With his talent, he is held to an even higher standard.

"I think it's no surprise to me...because he was a player who was very important in the last few seasons for Tottenham," Pochettino said after the Dane scored twice in the 5-0 EFL Cup win over Gillingham on Wednesday. "This season, we need him improving his performance and being again important for the team."

Spurs did not defeat Middlesbrough as convincingly as Pochettino would have liked. This has been a problem dating back to last season.

As a conduit for so much of the team's play, the onus is on Eriksen to help things get better here.

While his manager was not completely satisfied by the collective punch of his team at the Riverside, he should be content with Eriksen's work.

Save for a slightly off-colour night against AS Monaco at Wembley Stadium, the 24-year-old has been in fine form since signing his contract. After Gillingham, he dismissed the notion the improvement was because of clarifying his future—in his mind, it had never been an issue.

Like Alli, he kept Spurs ticking in possession and did well making sure Boro were on their heels for much of this contest. Unlike in the wins over Stoke City and Gillingham, his influence was not so telling, but his presence was welcome all the same, especially in the absence of fellow main men Dembele and Kane.

Walker, Alli and Eriksen will all happily cede the spotlight to the man who did make the difference on this occasion. In the form he is in, Son may well be the next player on the receiving end of the #PochettinoPose.

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.