Mauricio Pochettino Claims to Have Calmed the Temper of 'Wild Horse' Dele Alli

Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino claims to have 'domesticated' young midfielder Dele Alli, comparing the England starlet to a 'wild horse' in faintly bizarre pre-match comments.

For all his brilliance, Alli was somewhat associated witha rash temper and always capable of an outburst - picking up11 yellow cards last season -but Pochettino claimed incomments before the weekend's gameagainst Bournemouth that he has helped the young firebrand even out his temperament.

The 20-year-old has only been booked once this season as his side make an impressive unbeaten start to the league season which would suggest a change in mentality.

Pochettino has said its been a tough job tying to curb Alli's aggressive side without regimenting him too much on the pitch.

The Tottenham boss said: "It is all a process with the younger lads to be more mature with more experience, it is like when you have a wild horse and you need to put it in a box and domesticate it. No? Dele 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. No more whip now. But sometimes yes. He is special, a great guy. We have a very good relationship. He is a very emotional person and I think we all love him."

Alli is currently going through a rough period after a missed chance on Tuesday night that robbed his side of all three points and they instead had to settle for a point against Bayer Leverkusen.

But his boss insists he is more than happy with his young midfielder.

"If we are talking about scoring every chance, maybe we are talking about a Marco Van Basten or a Gabriel Batistuta, a striker. Not an offensive midfielder (like Alli). I think he works hard, he presses, he scores, he creates chances. I think it is unbelievable all the effort he makes in every game. I am more than happy with him."