LONDON -- Tottenham Hotspur head coach Mauricio Pochettino has said he will not try to change Dele Alli despite the midfielder's three-match ban for violent conduct.
Alli will play no further part in Spurs' season after being given a retrospective ban by the Football Association for punching West Bromwich Albion's Claudio Yacob in Monday's draw at White Hart Lane.
In February Alli escaped with a booking after appearing to kick Fiorentina's Nenad Tomovic, and Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew accused him of stamping on Yohan Cabaye in January.
After the incident in Florence, Pochettino said Alli had "a lot to learn about elite football," but the manager played down the PFA Young Player of the Year's latest moment of controversy.
"I think the players can make mistakes, like everyone, and it's true it was an action that nobody feels proud of," he told a news conference.
"But it's only a mistake, it's one mistake. He's paid for that and that he's learned about that.
"He has a very strong character. That's why he's one of the best players in England, and we cannot change him.
"It's his first season in the Premier League, he's very young, he's a talented player -- he knows."
The draw with West Brom left second-place Spurs seven points behind league leaders Leicester with three matches to play.
The North London club will be without 20-year-old Alli for those games, against Chelsea, Southampton and Newcastle.
The England international faces 47 days without a competitive game before England's first match in France, and Pochettino said: "In the next few weeks, he cannot play but he needs to work maybe a little bit more to keep his physical condition."
Son Heung-min, Nacer Chadli, Clinton N'Jie and Ryan Mason are all candidates to replace Alli for Monday's game at Stamford Bridge.
Pochettino said: "We have different options, we have good players, we can change the system. We are assessing the team and who deserves to play will play."
Eric Dier is a doubt to face the Blues after suffering concussion against the Baggies, while Nabil Bentaleb remains out.
The title race will be over by Monday night if Leicester have won at Manchester United on Saturday, but Pochettino urged his players to "believe."
He added: "For me, the potential of the club is massive. The basis now is very solid, and the future can be brilliant."
