Dele won’t lose fire
BUT ALLI VOWS TO LEARN
DELE ALLI insists he will never lose his competitive edge.
But the Tottenham and England star admits he has spoken to club boss Mauricio Pochettino in a bid to get his fiery temper under control.
The Spurs midfielder’s suspect temperament has already landed him in plenty of trouble in his short top-flight career.
He was banned for the final three games of last season, as Spurs’ title challenge imploded, after punching West Brom’s Claudio Yacob.
His latest brush came last month in the Europa League when he was sent off against Gent for an awful X-rated challenge on Brecht Dejaegere.
The 20-year-old admits his Euro shame marked a low point, prompting some serious soul-searching.
Alli said: “I have so many things to learn from this season. Everyone makes mistakes and it’s important that you bounce back.
“I felt horrible straight after the sending off but it’s important I put it behind me and make sure I learn from it and keep improving.
“I have calmed down a bit but it’s ® important. I’m never going to take that out of my game.
“I’m never going to say sorry for wanting to win or trying as hard as I can. Sometimes things happen and you have to learn from them.
“The manager knows that’s who I am. We’ve had a few talks and he’s been really supportive.
“It’s good to have a manager behind me who trusts and supports me as much as he does.
“I’m still young, I’m 20. There’s going to be a lot of ups and downs in football, that’s the way it is.”
Alli showed he is capable of shouldering responsibility when he helped Spurs beat Southampton on Sunday in the absence of injured star striker Harry Kane, scoring the second from the penalty spot in a 2-1 win.
It was his 14th league goal of the season – his 17th in all competitions – and he is now targeting 20 league goals before the end of the campaign.
“I always want more, I’m always hungry,” he said.
“It’s important the team keep scoring and we keep winning games.
“I enjoy playing as a No.10 but I am happy to play anywhere in this team.”