TOTTENHAM BOSS Mauricio Pochettino insists he has no problem with Danny Rose’s angry response to being dropped for the north London derby, but he warned the England left-back he isn’t afraid to make more big selection decisions.
Rose admitted he was “fuming” at being left out of the squad for Tottenham’s 2-0 defeat at Arsenal on Saturday before returning to the starting line-up for Tuesday’s Champions League victory at Borussia Dortmund.
Although Rose was adamant there was no row with Pochettino, his frustration continued a trend of publicly airing his grievances.
The 27-year-old has made just four appearances this season, and only one Premier League start, after losing his place to Ben Davies.
He was fined by Tottenham in the close-season and forced to apologise for an interview in which he criticised the club’s wage structure and hinted he wanted to leave.
Pochettino maintains he is happy to see Rose show some emotion because it proves he cares.
“I understand if after he was angry, like other players who do not play, and I like it when players feel that emotion because it looks like they’re interested in helping the team and want to play,” Pochettino said on Thursday.
“But in front of me he never was upset or angry, he never showed this emotion. He was normal in his behaviour.
“You can ask me about him or Georges-Kevin Nkoudou or Paulo Gazzaniga or when (Kieran) Trippier or Ben Davies were not involved.
“If you say ‘were they upset?’ Of course. Disappointed? Of course. Angry? Of course. Fuming? Of course. Because they want to play. But I am the boss. That is the problem for the players.”
Pochettino has to decide whether to stick with Rose or restore Davies to the starting line-up for Saturday’s game at home to West Bromwich Albion.
In the long-term, Rose’s future with the north London club could be in doubt.
Pochettino has already shown he won’t tolerate unfocused players by selling Kyle Walker to Manchester City after the England right-back had his head turned by an approach from Pep Guardiola’s side.
For now, the Argentine refused to reveal his plans for Rose’s future
“I think it’s not a moment to talk about that, all the players have contracts with us, they’re all involved in our project,” Pochettino said.
“Now you cannot guess what’s going to happen in the future, and with myself it’s the same. It’s about arriving at the moment and taking the best decision for the club.”
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