Martin Keown has warned Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli that he must control the competitive side of his game after he was guilty of a “reckless” challenge against Manchester City.
The 21-year-old was shown a yellow card for a tough challenge on Kevin De Bruyne at the weekend, which many feel was worthy of a straight dismissal as he crunched his leg.
Spurs were ripped apart by unbeaten runaway leaders Man City at the Etihad Stadium as they stretched their advantage at the top of the Premier League.
Meanwhile, Mauricio Pochettino’s side are seventh in the standings and face a serious battle for the top four.
They must now turn their attention to a vital away clash with sixth-placed Burnley and the manager could face a huge headache over his team selection.
Keown believes that Spurs playmaker Alli must now be careful moving forward after another controversial moment against Man City and insists he will not get so fortunate with the referee next time as his reputation grows.
“The problem for Alli is that he is gaining a reputation for ill-discipline,” Keown wrote in the Daily Mail.
“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.”
OPINION
Alli has a competitive edge to his game that makes him such a big talent and it would be wrong to try remove that from his game, but perhaps a quiet word from manager Pochettino could be the best approach. The England international needs to be more focused on rediscovering his top form and taking his frustrations out with a dreadful challenge was a sign of his confidence. He is one of several Spurs first teamers that are currently a long way short of their best and that is a worrying sign ahead of a busy winter period of fixtures. Erik Lamela is the obvious candidate to replace him in the starting XI while he struggles to make a difference in the final third and a rest on the sidelines could be the best move.