Dele pledges not to see red in Russia
DELE ALLI has vowed not to let England down at the World Cup.
The Tottenham ace has earned a reputation as a short-fused wind-up merchant, prone to landing himself in trouble.
But Alli claims he won’t lose his temper or see red in Russia.
“I have got everything under control,” he said.
“Every game is different and you never know what’s going to happen.
“But that’s not what I’m going to be worrying about. There are a lot more things I need to focus on, and put my concentration on in a game, rather than that.
“You have to stay concentrated and you can’t do stupid things – and if you do, you have to learn from your mistakes. That’s just the way it is.
“I don’t think people will be trying to do bad things and if they do, and get punished for it, then it’s your own fault.
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“When you’re playing the games, you are focused on trying to help the team as much as you can.
“You don’t want to put yourself in a position where you could jeopardise the team and lose the game for your team when you’re on international duty for your country.”
England boss Gareth Southgate and Spurs counterpart Mauricio Pochettino have both told Alli to focus on being remembered for the right reasons, following a string of misdemeanours.
He was banned for three games in 2016 for punching West Brom’s Claudio Yacob in the stomach.
Alli also missed the first three matches of Spurs’ Champions League campaign last season after being sent off in a Europa League match against Gent for a horror tackle.
He was then banned for one game by FIFA last September for a middle finger salute during England’s win over Slovakia in a World Cup qualifier.
Alli has also been repeatedly criticised for diving. But, a week ahead of England’s opening game against Tunisia, the attacking midfielder said: “I’ll just be myself – the way I always am.
“I want to play with passion, I want to play with hunger in every game I play.
“I’ve made mistakes in the earlier part of my career but you have to make mistakes in order to learn from them.
“If you look at my record, I’ve definitely learned from my mistakes.”
Alli might not yet be the model pro, but he is banking on being dressed for success. The 22-year-old has launched his own fashion range called ‘BoohooMan by Dele’, with adverts for it plastered over the London Underground.
He said: “Would I make a model? I’m not sure about that.
“I haven’t been on the Tube to see it for myself, but I hear I’m at the top of every escalator. People will be getting sick of seeing me.
“It’s something I’ve been interested in for a long time and when you’re a footballer who plays for England, you get a lot of opportunities to try out new things.
“Football will always be the main focus for me, but I think it’s great we get these opportunities not only for ourselves but to help other people. I’m honoured to have this opening where I can try out something different.
“Whether it’s golf or whatever, most footballers do have a hobby to take their minds off it.
“Seven-tenths of the year it’s not easy to get drawn into everything else.
“But with the fashion thing I tried it out. It was a great opportunity for me, I had a lot of meetings with the creative team and a big say in what the clothes were like.”