Spurs lost their heads as City embarrassed them

THE biggest compliment you can pay a team such as Manchester City is trying to kick them off the park. Tottenham’s tackling at the Etihad smacked of frustration. Frustration that, having been bridesmaids in the Premier League for each of the past two years, Spurs have been leapfrogged by a side who finished eight points behind them last season. Tottenham are not used to being embarrassed in the manner they were on Saturday evening. When it is your chance to play the league’s top teams, you are desperate to make it count. Some members of Mauricio Pochettino’s side were playing right on the limit — and when you do so you can sometimes overstep the mark. Harry Kane’s tackle on Raheem Sterling and Dele Alli’s challenge on Kevin De Bruyne could have been seasonending. Kane is not that sort of player and I don’t see Alli as a hatchet man. A lot of this is born of frustration that they have struggled on the big stage this season. The problem for Alli is that he is gaining a reputation for ill-discipline. We have already seen petulance from him this season. This challenge on De Bruyne was reckless. I do not want to take away any of Alli’s competitive edge but he needs to keep a lid on it. Next time, Alli will not get the benefit of the doubt and he will be sent off.