Tottenham have been on an upward curve under Mauricio Pochettino that has carried on this season.

One element of that is the continued tightening of the Spurs defence and they now consistently have one of the best defensive records in the Premier League.

Spurs are one of the most complete teams in the Premier League and they can take one step closer to winning their first trophy since 2008 with a win over struggling Swansea to make the FA Cup semi finals this weekend.

[ad_pod ]

Much of the discussion around Spurs' development surrounds their need to win a trophy and while there is no doubt that the first piece of silverware would get the monkey off their back, the absence of a medal should not mask the progress made at the club under the Argentine.

We've had a closer look at the tackling stats to see how many Pochettino's players - one of the hardest working teams in the Premier League - make and who makes the most.

Read on to see who came out on top of the rankings...

Much has been made of how Alli exaggerates and generates contact made on him when he goes forward this season but he has still not lost the fiery streak that has been evident throughout his Spurs career.

Unusually for a creative midfielder, he likes putting his foot in and making a challenge. However, his challenge on Kevin de Bruyne earlier this season was a step too far and he was lucky to remain on the pitch after that one.

Pochettino will want Alli to carry on putting in the challenges, so long as he doesn't overstep the mark again.

Aurier has flown into challenges since his Spurs career began; often in inopportune areas which put the team at risk.

He is certainly not shy about diving into a tackle and is always keen to win the ball back no matter where it is on the pitch.

That can be a good thing but it has also worried Spurs fans on more than one occasion this season. Aurier has shown no signs that he will hold back in future however.

The British pair have established themselves as Spurs' first-choice full-backs - or wing-backs - this season and both have made plenty of tackles.

Neither is the quickest, so the odd tactical foul can be necessary to cut down some of the Premier League's fliers, but they are both very good, solid defenders.

Poch wants his players to put their foot in and win the ball back and the approach of the men on the flanks is key to that.

Vertonghen, who has 98 caps for Belgium, is the only out and out centre-half that appears on this list.

He doesn't like letting strikers turn and his form this season has arguably seen him outperform defensive partner Toby Alderweireld, who could leave the club in the summer with his contract situation unresolved.

He is up there with any central defender in the league right now and his tackling is part of that.

Dier may not be the most impressive player in the Spurs squad but his ability to play both centre-half and holding midfield with aplomb means that he features regularly under Pochettino.

It also means it is no surprise to see him at the top of this list and he has to be combative in both those roles.

Dier is valued at £36m by Transfermarkt and will head to the World Cup in the summer as England's primary holding midfielder and his penchant for a tackle should go down well with Gareth Southgate.