LONDON -- Mauricio Pochettino says Tottenham Hotspur is starting to feel like "a real family" and that his players are so in tune with his methods that last season's rules are now habits.
Spurs' are second in the Premier League ahead of Wednesday's trip to West Ham, and their success has been built on a group of young, committed and talented players, who have closely followed their manager's instructions.
Although outwardly amiable, Pochettino has a ruthless streak and he has frozen out a number of senior players with big reputations, among them Emmanuel Adebayor and Andros Townsend.
The surviving Spurs players have frequently spoken about the Argentine's gruelling training regime and, as a group, they have followed their manager's instructions to do their talking on the pitch, rather than publicly discussing the possibility of a maiden Premier League title.
Pochettino admits he has a sterner side away from the public glare and says his squad have taken his rules -- like shaking hands first thing every morning -- on board.
"You cannot see how I really am," Pochettino told reporters at a news conference.
"Only you can see me on the pitch or here. Sometimes I shout too -- sometimes too much -- but always I keep this inside. To show character you cannot only shout. Sometimes a lot of managers shout from the touchline and inside they are like a cat. To show character is not only to shout.
"We share the rules -- not just on the pitch but off the pitch too. Maybe from the beginning we feel there was a rule but today they share the values. For example, every morning we shake hands with everyone. It is just small things but it means a lot to create in the end a real team.
"Today the squad want to apply the rules. The rules become habits. Like the example of shaking hands. I think we start to feel we are a real family. It is important when the opponents are very tough too if we are to achieve big things."
Pochettino has urged his players to take risks and express themselves in the crucial Premier League run-in.
"To show character is to take the ball and take a risk in the way you play," he said. "To be brave is not to kick someone. It is to take the ball and play. We cannot forget we play football, we are not playing rugby or boxing.
"How we show character is not to kick someone but to take the ball and take risks in different positions in the game."