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Overpowering the rivals was the approach at Spurs last campaign but now the emphasis is on stopping goals at the other end of the stadium.

Tuesday's narrow win versus the Spanish side in Tottenham's UCL opener was the yet another clean sheet they had achieved in five games to date.

By comparison, they had managed just a single at the equivalent stage of last season, when the more attack-minded the former boss was in control.

“We talked a lot about 'shutout mentality' this year because we allowed a lot last year,” Tottenham midfielder one of the stars stated.

Defender Micky van de Ven noted: “I think we are a difficult team to play against, for sure. Structure-wise we are positioned really good and we all know what to do, so we're a tough team to beat.”

The strategy of Tottenham against Villarreal was in sharp contrast to the free-flowing football played during the previous regime.

They were much more defensive, even after being presented a fourth-minute opener thanks to a calamitous mistake by Villarreal goalkeeper the shot-stopper.

Stronger Defence but at an Attacking Cost?

The North Londoners have conceded only one goal to date - in the narrow loss to Bournemouth.

That is a major improvement on how they began the previous campaign, when they let in five in their first five games.

In the English top flight they have kept three already - meaning they are just two from matching their total for the whole of last season.

The more stable platform is possibly coming at a cost, however, with their one shot on target against Villarreal the second time in their last three games they had managed so few efforts on goal.

The boss acknowledges this is an area that has to get better.

“We have a very good platform to stand on in terms of our defensive organisation and I think it's solid and we gave not much away,” he said.

“We're playing in the Champions League against a good team. Also, I knew we took a positive step against the Hammers, offensively is the area we need to enhance.”