Mauricio Pochettino took a risk in asking to work with a small group of senior players this season but his move could give Tottenham the consistency they have often lacked in the Premier League.

During a campaign in which managers have struggled to settle on a preferred XI, Pochettino represents an exception among the sides expected to fight for the top six or seven spots. Before he was sacked yesterday, Brendan Rodgers seemed to have little idea of the style, tactics or players he trusted at Liverpool.

Jose Mourinho has made regular changes at Chelsea, with scant success. Arsenal signed Petr Cech, one of Europe’s finest goalkeepers, from their London rivals in the summer, yet boss Arsene Wenger has chosen to leave him out of two vital Champions League matches.

In Manchester, United boss Louis van Gaal struggles to find the ideal balance. At City, Manuel Pellegrini has so many players to choose from in attack that it will be a challenge to keep all of them happy.

Pochettino has few such worries because the majority of his Tottenham team picks itself. Hugo Lloris starts behind a back four who are solidly first-choice in their roles. In midfield, Eric Dier operates alongside either Ryan Mason or Dele Alli.

Further forward, the lack of alternative centre-forwards means Harry Kane plays in front of an attacking midfield trio, selected from Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela, Heung-min Son and Nacer Chadli.

During his early weeks at Tottenham, Pochettino craved such clarity. Instead, he had to decide whether to use Dier, Federico Fazio or Younes Kaboul alongside Jan Vertonghen in central defence.

Mason was a fixture in midfield all season but his partners changed: first Etienne Capoue, then Nabil Bentaleb, with occasional cameos from Paulinho or Benjamin Stambouli. Mousa Dembele was also deployed either in that position or given the No10 job.

Until the autumn, Kane was third-choice behind Emmanuel Adebayor and Roberto Soldado. Eriksen and Chadli played regularly but the final attacking midfield position was anyone’s, with Paulinho, Dembele, Lamela, Andros Townsend and even Aaron Lennon staking a claim.

While it is not much fun for the players outside Pochettino’s main group, his policy gives confidence to those he trusts. Although Tottenham have not always convinced this term, they have lost only once in the league, at Manchester United on the opening day.

Son’s foot injury is a setback but it is eased by the return of Eriksen, surely the best taker of free-kicks in the division. The Dane’s two strikes at Swansea earned Tottenham a point but they had enough chances to win the match and had they done so, they would have been in fourth place heading into the international break.

“Eriksen is a very important player for us and if you give him chances to shoot from free-kicks, he can have an impact on the game,” said Pochettino. “He is one of the best at dead-ball situations. It is hard to say he is the best, but he is one of them.

“We maybe dropped two points. We were disappointed with the result but not with the performance or the effort.”

Swansea twice took the lead, first through Andre Ayew and then thanks to a bizarre own-goal from Kane, who tried to clear a corner but could only slice the ball behind him into his own goal. Although he did not score at the right end, the England forward had a reasonable game and Pochettino added: “Harry does not need to worry. He does a lot for the team.”

In a fortnight, Tottenham face Liverpool, who will have a new man in charge and many other doubts. By contrast, Pochettino now understands where he wants to go and how he plans to get there.