'Tottenham can't be compared to Atletico'

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino claimed Spurs winning the Premier League would be a bigger achievement than Atletico Madrid's 2014 LaLiga triumph. Spurs are legitimate title challengers this season, with Pochettino's side second and six points behind league leaders Liverpool after 19 rounds.

Crushing wins over Everton (6-2) and Bournemouth (5-0) amid a six-match winning streak has catapulted Tottenham into the mix with Liverpool and reigning champions Manchester City.

Tottenham – who did not sign any players before the transfer window shut in August – are the underdogs against Liverpool and City, drawing comparisons to Diego Simeone's Atletico.

Atletico continue to go toe-to-toe with Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid but Pochettino insisted Spurs operate on a smaller budget as he dismissed the comparisons.

"It's difficult to find ­another club doing the same or ­delivering the same work as us – the philosophy. Every single club is ­special and is different," said Pochettino, whose Tottenham are seeking their first league title since 1961.

"I was thinking about this the other day. Simeone is the best-paid ­manager in Spain. His salary is ­bigger than the Real Madrid ­manager, Barcelona manager, Sevilla manager and ­Valencia manager.

"The investment from Atletico in players is bigger than ours. It is just below, but really close to, Real ­Madrid’s and Barcelona's budgets. They keep players like Antoine Griezmann and they signed Diego Costa.

"I think Atletico's budget is maybe bigger than any club in the Premier League. It is maybe five times bigger than the budget we have.

"It is more like Real or Barcelona. It is nothing like Tottenham. Do you think Atletico Madrid is comparable to Tottenham? Atletico Madrid are like City and Liverpool."