Dele Alli comes under the media spotlight more than any other player in the Premier League when it comes to any altercations during a match, but the Spurs midfielder has insisted that he will remain composed at the World Cup.
Over the past couple of years at Tottenham, we have seen opposition players trying to wind up the former MK Dons man, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he will be targeted at the tournament in Russia.
Dele has previously been banned from international duty after missing England’s win against Slovenia last year when he stuck his two fingers up to the camera.
There’s no doubt that he comes in for harsh criticism for his temperament, those who watch him week in, week out at Tottenham know its part of the reason why he is such a good player, he wants to win.
“I am a big believer that you have to make mistakes to learn from them. I feel I learned from the things I’ve done before, but it’s not something I worry about at all,” Dele told Sky Sports.
“I feel I’ve got everything under control. That [opponents winding him up in Russia] is not going to be a problem.
“Obviously, I’ve done some things before and people seem to think that will be a problem – but it’s not.”
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The media have been trying to compare Dele Alli to David Beckham who was famously sent off for his country against Argentina during the 1998 FIFA World Cup when he famously kicked out at Diego Simeone.
Beckham was dismissed shortly after half-time when he kicked out at Simeone following a very physical foul on him by the Argentine midfielder. Something which Simeone later admitted that he deliberately tried to get Becks sent off.
Describing the incident during an interview for the Observer Sport Monthly, Simeone said: ‘I had tackled him, and we both fell to the ground. As I was trying to stand up that was when he kicked me from behind. And I took advantage of that. And I think any person would have taken advantage of that in just the same way.’
‘Unfortunately for the English team that time they lost a player. Anyway, you take advantage of all the opportunities you find in your life.
Fans will be hoping that Dele can keep his cool during the tournament and the player himself has revealed that he has never seen the Beckham vs Simeone incident.
“I haven’t seen the incident with Beckham but, you know, I feel I’ve got -everything under control.
Tottenham fans will be more concerned about Dele coming through the World Cup along with the rest of his Tottenham team-mates without picking up any serious injuries.
The players will not have long to rest after the tournament before the new Premier League campaign takes place on August 11th, fans will learn on June 11th whether Tottenham will request to play their first few games of the new season away from home or even at Wembley while work continues on the new stadium development.
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