Mauricio Pochettino's methods: Hot coals, lemons, breaking mental barriers and the Gacon test

Mauricio Pochettino likes to keep a tray of lemons in his office, after an Argentine friend told him they absorb negative energy, and he believes he has the ability to see an aura around people.

For Pochettino, energy and the mind are everything, and his Chelsea players can expect to be judged on much more than statistics and spreadsheets when their new head coach arrives.

Writing in his book, Brave New World, Pochettino said: "I need data and tests, but what most influences my decisions is my ability to see if the right energy is flowing. I can foresee things that are going to happen and the associated consequences, or which path each player is going to take. I can see it in their auras."

Pochettino works on a tactics white board while at Tottenham Hotspur

A recurring theme among Chelsea coaches since the club's last Premier League title success six years ago has been to question the mentality of the squad and getting that right will be Pochettino's top priority.

Certainly, the way this season has gone has suggested more than a few minds need to be focused. Players will have to leave their comfort zones and allow their limits to be tested to impress Pochettino.

Preparations for Tottenham Hotspurs 2019 Champions League final involved players following Pochettino over hot coals and snapping arrows against their throats.

Pochettino looks on as his Tottenham side prepare for the 2019 Champions League final against Liverpool CREDIT: MB Media/Getty Images/Craig Mercer

"When you see the arrow, you think 'it's impossible, how am I going to break the arrow against my throat?'" Pochettino said ahead of the final. "You say: 'No, come on, I am going to kill myself.' You put it with the sharp tip against your throat but then, bang, you come forward and break the arrow. The most important thing is to learn how you can prepare your mind. To be focused. To be proactive. This is the key in football.

"If you are going to run, of course you need big legs, muscle and everything, but if your mind says 'No, I cannot run, you're going to be tired,' then you cannot move. That is why, before everything, is your mind; your emotions need to be in a good place. Your mind is powerful and only you settle your limits."