Ryan Mason paid tribute to the collective after Tottenham claimed a first clean sheet in the Premier League since February.
Harry Kane’s first-half header, his 28th goal of the season, earned Spurs a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday that kept them in the hunt for a top-six finish.
Kane moved ahead of Wayne Rooney into second on the all-time Premier League goal-scorer list with his 209th top-flight strike but it was the other end of the pitch where Tottenham’s improvement was noticeable.
After conceding six at Newcastle and four at Liverpool during the last two weekends, Mason used his full week on the training pitch to tweak the 3-4-3 system used for the best part of 18 months since Antonio Conte took over.
Spurs went with a back four out of possession and it worked to good effect after Palace were limited to minimal chances with the hosts able to register a first league clean sheet since February 26 versus Chelsea.
“When you keep a clean sheet, it’s a collective. It’s everyone and everyone fought for the clean sheet,” Mason said.
“The players on the pitch but also the ones who didn’t because in the training week we’ve all worked hard together and they’re the results you want.
“We understand the importance of the win and the clean sheet as well is a great response from the players because maybe mentally when you concede so many goals in a short space of time, it can have an impact but the players have worked hard.
“The whole squad has worked hard on the training pitch. We’ve had a bit of time together to try and influence things and they responded. I thought it was a cagey game but overall we deserved the three points.”
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Spurs have spent the whole of this season using a 3-4-3 system but Cristian Stellini, who stepped up from assistant to replace Conte, went with a back four at Newcastle last month.
It ended up having disastrous consequences with Tottenham 5-0 down inside 21 minutes and Stellini ultimately losing his job as acting head coach as a result.
Mason hinted upon taking charge it would be hard for him to make changes for the Manchester United and Liverpool fixtures, but after a week on the training ground reverted to a back four, which he used in his previous caretaker spell in 2021.
He added: “We added a sixth man into the press and tried to be a bit more aggressive.
“I have to compliment the players because when you’ve been working in a certain way for so long, to make that change at this stage of the season it’s very positive for me.”
Roy Hodgson, who watched Crystal Palace lose for only a second time since his return, acknowledged the respect Spurs had given the visitors with their formation.
“I saw us on the ball for large periods of the game and I saw us attempting to get into the right areas,” he said.
“We didn’t have the success we had last week (against West Ham) or the weeks before, but that’s a credit to Tottenham deciding to defend as they did against us.
“It’s never easy to find that bit of space when there are a lot of players in and around the box.”
Ten Hag reveals Man Utd future was settled 'on holiday in Ibiza'
Erik ten Hag revealed his Manchester United future was settled whilst on holiday in Ibiza, though he is yet to agree a contract extension at Old Trafford.
The Dutchman's future with the Red Devils was in doubt following a disappointing 2023-24 season, in which they recorded their lowest Premier League finish of eighth.
Although Ten Hag, who has a year remaining on his existing contract, did lead United to FA Cup glory following a 2-1 victory over rivals Manchester City in the final at Wembley.
The club's new co-owner Jim Ratcliffe reportedly spoke to several candidates to potentially replace the Dutchman, including former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel.
Ten Hag confirmed this, before United officials visited him to confirm he would remain in charge, and they would extend his stay at Old Trafford.
"The club management came to me while I was on holiday in Ibiza," he told Dutch TV channel NOS. "They suddenly showed up on my doorstep and told me they wanted to continue with me."
"Ineos took their time. They are new to football; it's normal to reflect on the season. It's no secret that they talked with multiple candidates.
"In the Netherlands, that is not done. You are not even allowed to talk to another club if there is a current manager there. But in England, the rules and laws are different.
"Manchester United have told me that they spoke with Tuchel, but they eventually came to the conclusion that they already have the best manager.
"We had a good discussion and various topics were discussed. One of the conclusions is that we will extend the contract, but we still have to reach an agreement."
Brighton announce Hurzeler as new head coach
Brighton have announced that Fabian Hurzeler has become their new head coach, a club statement confirmed on Saturday.
Hurzeler, 31, signed a three-year deal and arrives at the Amex having led St Pauli to the Bundesliga 2 title last season by winning 20 of their 34 matches.
“From the start of the process to appoint our new head coach, Fabian was always a standout candidate and one who had caught our attention with his exceptional work at St Pauli over the past eighteen months," Chairman Tony Bloom said.
“He has a style of play that aligns with how we want a Brighton & Hove Albion team to play, and I’m confident it is one our supporters will appreciate and enjoy.
“Fabian also has an excellent coaching pedigree and has worked with the German federation at various age group levels. We are really excited to start working with Fabian to prepare for the upcoming season.”
Brighton's rise under the stewardship of De Zerbi has been admired by many, with the Italian helping the club qualify for Europe for the first time in their history at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.
While the Seagulls finished just inside the bottom half of the Premier League table last season, they reached the last 16 of the Europa League, with Hurzeler looking forward to building on the solid foundations laid by the man before him.
"The club has made incredible progress over the last few seasons and the aim is to continue building on that success," Huerzeler said.
"I am relishing the opportunity to coach in the Premier League, and I can't wait to meet the players, staff and, of course, the fans."
Southampton bring back former captain Lallana ahead of Premier League return
Southampton have re-signed their former captain Adam Lallana after the midfielder left Brighton and Hove Albion as a free agent.
Lallana initially joined Southampton at the age of 12 and was with the club for 14 years before he left for Liverpool in a £25million deal in 2014.
During eight years with the Saints' first team, he made 265 appearances and scored 60 goals, helping them win back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League as well as lifting the EFL Trophy at Wembley Stadium in 2010.
He then went on to help Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool win the Premier League, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup trophies before joining Brighton in 2020.
He heads back to St Mary's as Russell Martin's first signing ahead of their return to the Premier League, after Southampton earned promotion by beating Leeds United 1-0 in last month's Championship play-off final.
Speaking to Southampton's website, Lallana said: "I've been no stranger. My son's at the academy, so I'm in and around it quite a bit, but I've not been this close to being home, so it's amazing.
"Although it sounds like a bit of a fairytale, in my head there's still a job to do and I'm really confident I've still got a lot to give to this football club."
Southampton will discover their Premier League fixtures for 2024-25 on Tuesday, when the schedule for the new campaign will be released.
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