Fiery Alli trying to do the right things, Klopp shields young Karius from critics

DELE ALLI is keen to improve his finishing after the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder admitted that his profligacy in front of goal has at times left him feeling frustrated this season.

Alli, pictured, scored 10 times for Spurs last season and while he is yet to match the heights of his debut campaign, he has chipped in with a respectable return of three goals in 11 appearances in all competitions.

The 20-year-old’s lack of sharpness was evident in Tuesday’s goalless Champions League draw at Bayer Leverkusen, however, when he failed to make the most of Kieran Trippier’s pinpoint cross in the first half.

“It was a fantastic ball by Trippier against Leverkusen and, to be honest with you, I want to be scoring goals and I feel like I should have put that in,” Alli said. “I couldn’t believe it when I missed it, but I’ve got to keep working hard and make sure that I start being more clinical. Personally, I feel like I should have scored that one.

“You’ve got to put it behind you and just look for the next chance and try to put the next one away. You can’t be dwelling on mistakes. When things don’t go your way, you’ve got to keep trying to do the right things.”

Alli, who got a three-match ban near the end of last season for punching West Brom’s Claudio Yacob, has collected just one yellow card this campaign and manager Mauricio Pochettino believes the player has learned to tame his fiery personality.

“It is all a process with the younger lads to be more mature, with more experience, now more focused on playing football,” Pochettino said.

“It is like when you have a wild horse and you need to put it in a box and domesticate it, no? He is a big talent but he was a bit wild. Now he is more domesticated. But you can never lose that wild side. That side might make him a special player.”

Spurs, who are third in the Premier League, a point behind leaders Manchester City after eight games, travel to face 11th-placed Bournemouth on today.

● Goalkeeper Loris Karius will be able to produce his best form once he has adapted to the rigours of the Premier League, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has said ahead of today’s clash against West Brom at Anfield.

The 23-year-old Karius, who joined from Mainz 05 during the close season, has usurped Simon Mignolet in the starting XI but is yet to win over Reds fans following a string of erratic performances.

“He is still a young boy but this is something different. The Premier League is a different style of play, generally and in a specific case,” Klopp said. “It is not perfect. He can improve. As a keeper you take a risk sometimes because the ball is bouncing.”

Klopp infamously celebrated a lastminute equaliser against West Brom at Anfield by leading his players to bow in front of The Kop, and the German said it was unlikely there would be a repeat of the scenario.

“I celebrated the point and it was a little bit surprising for most people. I don’t know at this point if I would celebrate a point again,” he said. “But we are full of respect. West Brom is a very experienced team with a very experienced manager (Tony Pulis).

“They don’t want to make it easy for us so we have to find a way to play them. We need to be angry, that’s true, and be patient enough.” – Reuters Fixtures Today: Bournemouth v Tottenham, Arsenal v Middlesbrough, Burnley v Everton, Hull v Stoke, Leicester v Crystal Palace, Swansea v Watford , West Ham United v Sunderland, Liverpool v West Bromwich Albion. Tomorrow: Manchester City v Southampton, Chelsea v Manchester United.