Monday 29 February 2016 08:37, UK
Mauricio Pochettino says Danny Rose was the first player he called when he arrived at Tottenham and is delighted the full-back is now repaying his faith.
For a long time it looked like Swansea would pull off a surprise win in north London as Alberto Paloschi gave the visitors a surprise early lead and then Lukasz Fabianski frustrated Tottenham with a number of excellent saves.
However, Rose scored the winner as Pochettino's side came from behind to beat Swansea 2-1 at White Hart Lane, a victory that reduces the gap between Spurs and league leaders Leicester back to two points.
"We arrived 21 months ago and the first meeting I have with a Tottenham player was with him," Pochettino said.
"They were on holiday and I called him to come to my office. I was happy and pleased to give him the opportunity to stay here and work with us.
"It is true we are very happy with him showing quality and helping the team. It was maybe difficult from the beginning when we arrived but I am very happy for him. The crowd were singing his name.
"When any manager arrives at a new club, always the player needs to know the idea. My idea was from the beginning to give him the chance to show he has enough quality to play for Tottenham."
Pochettino was keen to downplay title talk as Tottenham once again proved their battling qualities to come from behind against Swansea at White Hart Lane.
"We put ourselves under pressure, because the team have a strong mentality and every game we want to win," Pochettino told Sky Sports.
"It is not important that we have a lot of games ahead, a lot of Premier League games - I think 11 until the end of the season.
"There is a long way to go still, we need to keep working hard, look forward and try to be ready for Wednesday. Nobody speak about that [the title]. We believe we can win every game and will see what happens at the end of the season."
