Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris opens up about how Mauricio Pochettino has changed things, hitting the gym and improving his footwork

• e-mail

Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has lifted the lid on life under manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Lloris believes his role has transformed from simply a shot-stopper between the sticks, to the team's 11th outfield player due to the emphasis placed on his ability with the ball at his feet.

When asked if he hates partaking in El Rondo, a training drill where players stand in a circle trying to pass the ball without a defender claiming possession, Lloris told AS: 'No, because now with Toni Jimenez (the goalkeeping coach) I feel like the 11th player.

Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has lifted the lid on life under manager Mauricio Pochettino

He said Toni Jimenez (the goalkeeping coach) has made him feel like an outfield player

'Maybe when I was 10, it was different, but now the keeper has to restart play. In teams managed by Pochettino, the keeper has to play out from the back. In the rondos I try to avoid the middle but I like this kind of exercise because it helps me to work with my feet and it’s fun too.'

The responsibility of successfully carrying out the free-flowing football Pochettino has brought to Spurs is not simply on the playmakers.

So much is the emphasis placed on the Argentine's brand of football, Lloris admitted: 'I am worried with playing it long or short, but always keeping possession because I don’t want to lose the ball.'

The France star said he has the responsibility to play out and start attacks from the back 

Lloris said when he first met Pochettino and Jiminez, he started to hit the gym more frequently

After first being sceptical, he now realises that their way of thinking was the right way

And it's not just on the pitch the Frenchman has had to adjust, it's in the gym. 

'When I first met Toni and Mauricio, I started spending more time in the gym and looking after my body, developing more muscle and improving my technique,' The keeper added.

'I spend a lot of time with him and with Toni looking at videos and they showed me what they expected from me. The first few weeks, you wonder if what they are trying to do will work but after you start to notice at training and later in the game and then you think, "Okay, maybe they’re right".'