Mauricio Pochettino says he wants no repeat of the disrespect he feels was shown to Tottenham by Eden Hazard and his fellow professionals the last time they tried to win the Premier League.

Five successive victories have put Pochettino's side firmly in the title race alongside Liverpool and Manchester City, with the Argentine being praised for taking Spurs to new heights despite failing to sign a single player in the summer.

But Pochettino is adamant it was a very different story the last time Tottenham were in the hunt to win the Premier League, with the likes of Hazard openly stating they wanted Leicester to win the title in 2016.

Hazard said "we don't want Tottenham to win the Premier League; the fans, the club and the players," ahead of a bad-tempered 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge in May that extinguished Tottenham's hopes once and for all. And Pochettino has not forgotten the remark as he called for players to keep their opinions to themselves this time around in case they inflame rivalries in the title run-in.

"When you are professional some opinions you cannot make public," he said. "Because after you create a big problem like what happened at Chelsea. That was more like a battle than a football game. Why did that happen? You know very well. That’s why it’s compulsory to behave professionally. We translate a lot of emotion to the people. We are public persons."