POCHETTINO PRAISES "CALMER" CAPTAIN ALLI

Dele Alli had his first experience of captaining Tottenham on Wednesday night in their Carabao Cup win over Watford, and manager Mauricio Pochettino has heaped the praise on the midfielder.

Source: Getty Images

Alli was skipper for Spurs on a night where they beat Watford on penalties after drawing 2-2 at the Stadium MK - Alli's former stomping ground.

The former MK Dons youngster scored the winning penalty from the spot - after earlier equalising from the spot in normal time.

Pochettino believes that Alli is now a more "mature" and "calmer" player and that he handled the responsibility very well.

"Being a captain means a lot - it's not just about wearing the armband," Pochettino said to The Guardian.

"Dele spoke from the heart in his team-talk and I like that. I can't tell you what he said but he was very good.

"He was back in his home town, playing at his old stadium, it was fantastic for him and so I decided to make him captain.

"I think he did very well. He is more mature and has more experience. When you are young, you do some crazy things, but he has grown up.

"He is one of the best in England and one of the best in Europe in his position. I hope the experience of being captain for the first time will help him to improve even more."