• Spurs could be within a point of leaders by 3pm on Saturday • ‘Belief is the most important thing in football, not only quality’

Tottenham Hotspur trimmed the still considerable gap between themselves and Chelsea to seven points over the weekend and continue a potentially defining week in the knowledge that should they win their next two games and the league leaders lose against Manchester City on Wednesday, there would be only one point between them by 3pm on Saturday.

Tottenham must learn from last season’s title run-in, says Mauricio Pochettino Read more

Spurs visit Swansea, also on Wednesday, before welcoming Watford in the lunchtime kick-off on Saturday, and though Mauricio Pochettino believes Chelsea’s advantage will be enough to carry them over the line he retains hope that the situation could swiftly change.

“This is football and anything can happen,” Tottenham’s manager said. “That is a good lesson for everyone. Belief is the most important thing in football, not only quality. Belief and faith and fight. In football nothing is impossible and that is our philosophy.”

Pochettino is familiar with this situation as precisely a year ago his Tottenham side stood an ultimately unsurmountable seven points behind Leicester City, although both sides had played three games more than this season’s top two have so far completed.

“It’s a big, big gap,” he said. “Seven points is a massive difference. There’s still a lot of work to do. And it’s true that Chelsea, two years ago they won the Premier League and I think 80% of their players have experienced the pressure. They can win and they can lose but it’s not about pressure for them, or stress.”

Tottenham are also able to call upon recent experience, having learned from their pursuit of Leicester last season. “It’s true that in football it’s important to learn from good and bad experience,” he said. “For me, it’s about mentality, about never giving up, about concentrating to the end.

“Last season there wasn’t a problem with our physical condition, the problem was that we switched off in our minds after [drawing 2-2 at] Chelsea, and we conceded second place to Arsenal. We need to learn: never give up, always fight, always concentrate, fight to the end, and what happens happens. Football is about mentality. It’s about your mind, not your body.”

Tottenham head for Swansea without Harry Winks, who is undergoing further scans on the ankle he injured during the 2-0 victory at Burnley on Saturday and is unlikely to play again this season, but could call upon Victor Wanyama, who was forced off just before half-time with a back complaint. Despite the more eye-catching absence of Harry Kane they will be full of optimism: of 11 meetings since Swansea were promoted to the top flight in 2011 Spurs have won nine and lost none, and on their travels this season they have lost only against Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool.

“I think the momentum is good for us,” Pochettino said. “We feel good, we trust in ourselves, in the way we play. We are a real contender now for the top four and that is very good news for us. I think today if we assess the season I think it’s fantastic. We are there, second in the table, and now in the last period we must focus and concentrate and try to do our best and take the fight to them.”