Nice guys finish last, or so the saying goes, and Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is one of English football's nicest guys.

Warm, open and funny, Pochettino has typically been a picture of public diplomacy since moving to the Premier League six years ago, particularly when it comes to referees.

"I don't want to talk about the decision of the referee," Pochettino said, characteristically, in December 2017. "I understand that it's so difficult – it's not easy to be a referee."

A refreshing and admirable attitude for a manager – but one that is changing.

Pochettino's treatment of officials is increasingly robust and, this month alone, he has criticised Michael Oliver for the "unbelievable" decision to book Heung-min Son for diving against Leicester before furiously confronting referee Mike Dean following the 2-1 defeat at Burnley on Saturday, which surely ended Spurs' fanciful title challenge.

In both cases, Pochettino felt there was history with the official. He accused Oliver of also treating Son unfairly in the 2-1 loss to Liverpool back in September, when the forward was denied a penalty, while Dean has now overseen three of Spurs' seven league defeats this season and there is a feeling at the club that he rarely gives them the rub of the green.

To be clear, there was no justification for Pochettino's behaviour at Turf Moor and the Argentine was rightly charged with improper conduct by the FA – leaving him facing a touchline ban. Officials deserve to be able to do their jobs without receiving abuse and, regardless of whether Dean said something to provoke Pochettino (as has been suggested), there was little in his refereeing on Saturday, or previously, to merit the attack.

But, like it or not, this is what top managers do and Pochettino's willingness to put pressure on officials suggests the 46-year-old, like his team, is still maturing.

An ability to influence officials has been part of the armoury of so many of the best managers and it is hard to think of a serial-winner – Carlo Ancelotti aside, perhaps – who has politely accepted contentious decisions against his side with the good grace that Pochettino has shown in the past.

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Pochettino has urged his players to adopt the darker arts of the game, notably after last season's defeat to Juventus in the Champions League, so it is no surprise that he is finally embracing the more sinister side of management.

Sir Alex Ferguson, Pochettino's idol, is the best example of a manager who earned his players an advantage by exerting his considerable influence over officials and ahead of his final match as Manchester United manager in 2013 the Scot was asked for the secret of their remarkable habit of scoring late goals. "That’s been a part of it, the pressure you try and put on referees," Ferguson admitted.

He is far from the only one. Former referees' chief Graham Poll has revealed the lengths Jose Mourinho went to influence him during the Portuguese's first spell at Chelsea, including a complete renovation of the officials' changing room at Stamford Bridge, while Arsene Wenger was a fierce critic of officials in his heyday.

There is a line, of course, and Pochettino has accepted that he crossed it at Turf Moor. He is expected to confirm this afternoon that he will not contest the FA charge. But the Argentine may feel a fine or a touchline ban is a small price to pay if Dean, who has been replaced as fourth official for Spurs' visit to Chelsea on Wednesday, is persuaded to be more generous to his players in the future, while he will hope Oliver remembers his comments the next time Son goes down.

Pochettino's criticism of referees is in keeping with a wider willingness to speak his mind as his reputation grows, and he has also been critical of the Premier League – more than once – for its scheduling and continues to be one of the most outspoken opponents of VAR. Another Ferguson-like trait he is developing is a scepticism of internationals, and Pochettino has questioned the way England, Belgium and Denmark have managed his players this season.

It would be better for the game if managers were banned from talking about officials altogether and the punishments for confronting them were more severe. Within the existing framework, however, the best bosses will always seek to gain an advantage, however small, with their treatment of officials and Pochettino is learning to be no different. No more Mr. Nice Guy.