Pochettino: I’ve spoken to Dele Alli about the importance of keeping a cool head

Tottenham’s head coach Mauricio Pochettino says he has spoken to Dele Alli about the importance of keeping a cool head.

The prodigious 19-year-old midfielder appeared to kick Nenad Tomovic after the Fiorentina man fell in front of him during last week’s last-32 Europa League clash in Florence, and he seemed fortunate to only receive a yellow card.

Ahead of tomorrow’s home leg at White Hart Lane, Pochettino said: “We had a chat and it was very good. I think it’s always important. He’s very young, he needs to learn.

“He’s a very nice guy - a good person - but he’s very competitive. He’s shown he’s one of the best players in England and he showed very good maturity against Crystal Palace [on Sunday]. He was calm and he played well.

“It showed he can learn and improve his behaviour on the pitch. It was a natural chat and showed that he has learnt a lot for the future.”

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