MAURICIO’S WARNING TO LUCKY DELE
Alli escapes with yellow for kick
IF this season of wonderful opportunities ends with Tottenham going home with nothing, it will not be because of a lack of favour in big refereeing decisions.
Ben Davies and Dele Alli, in particular, can testify to that after a night where Spurs rode their luck but proved once more they have a backbone.
In the case of Davies, the flashpoint was the award of a first-half penalty. It was not nearly as farcical as the one given in the win against Manchester City last Sunday, yet was still contentious because he searched for contact and succeeded in coercing a call. Nacer Chadli did the rest from the spot.
Alli, meanwhile, escaped with only a yellow card from the referee and the promise of a ticking off from Mauricio Pochettino after kicking Nenad Tomovic in the ribs when the Fiorentina defender was lying on the ground. Daft, unnecessary and not the first incident of its kind from the 19-year- old. And yet it was almost lost in the details of another impressive performance.
He picked out passes, made interceptions, delivered his flicks and pulled off his tricks.
He was probably the best player on the pitch, based on his first-half performance alone, and the main counter- weight to a Fiorentina side which levelled through a deflected shot from Federico Bernardeschi on the hour.
Pochettino will talk with this unearthed diamond of a player about one of the few bad habits in his otherwise excellent game. The Tottenham manager admitted last night: ‘We need to look at the video and try to teach him.
‘He is a young player and he has a lot to learn about elite football. It is his first season in the Premier League, at Tottenham. He came from League One and he needs to learn a lot, to still learn. But I didn’t see it myself. Some people say yes, some say no. I don’t know.’
But Pochettino was hardly downcast. This was not the night for that, even if they did cough up a winning position for the third time in the Europa League this season.
Crucially, and unlike the Tottenham sides of recent campaigns, there was no rolling over in the face of pressure. Make no mistake, this was a game they might well have lost. Fiorentina surged, pressed and shot on sight in the final throes but Tottenham held on for the draw.
Mental strength has been the key addition to this squad since they last turned up in this city a year ago and made a weak exit from the same stage of the competition.
Instead, they leave this time with the advantage of an away goal against a side that sits third in Serie A. And all with a team that featured six changes from the one which beat City — with the most notable decision being the one to leave Harry Kane on the bench until midway through the second half.
Pochettino said: ‘ It was a tough game, but they are a very good team.
‘Now the tie is open and we have to be ready for Crystal Palace in the FA Cup on Sunday, which is another tough game. But we have a strong squad to try to fight for every competition.
‘We need to use all of the squad and I am happy with all of the players that played here.’
Initially, there was not nearly so much to shout about.
The opening 25 minutes were bland, until Christian Eriksen had a shot tipped over the bar and Alli kicked Tomovic in the ribs.
Mauro Zarate, of West Ham until January, then blew a couple of excellent chances for Fiorentina before Davies won a penalty after finding contact with Tomovic.
Chadli scored the penalty for his sixth goal of the season in all competitions and Fiorentina levelled through Bernardeschi on 59 minutes, helped by a deflection off Ryan Mason.
It could have got worse for Spurs but they fought for what they had.
That, and a bit of luck, might yet prove decisive in this promising campaign.