LONDON -- Mauricio Pochettino is not concerned about Mousa Dembele's state of mind when the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder returns to Chelsea on Saturday.
Spurs' vain hopes of beating Leicester City to last season's Premier League title were ended on May 2 when Chelsea came from 2-0 down to draw a foul-tempered derby 2-2 at Stamford Bridge.
Spurs had nine players booked -- a Premier League record -- but no one was more agitated than Dembele, who missed the final two matches of the season and the first four of this term after he was hit with a retrospective six-match ban for scratching at Diego Costa's eye in the first half.
"He is calm now, "Pochettino said. "He was nervous before [that game] but we realised after, because he told us that he was thinking always how to play that game. Now, he is calm and playing at a nice level."
Chelsea pair Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard, a Belgium teammate of Dembele, both said before the game that they hoped Leicester City beat Spurs to the title and it was reported that Dembele was particularly unhappy with the comments.
Pochettino added: "You can't compare that situation to now. We need to be focused and try to play and play football and forget all that has happened.
"But that is football. It is for that we love football because it is our passion. It is normal. You cannot receive from your enemy a good present. You need to be better. If they are aggressive, we are more aggressive but in a good way. Not in a bad way. We need to forget the past."
Dembele's season has been disrupted by muscle injuries and a persistent foot problem since he returned from suspension, and he has only made five starts in the league and two in the Champions League.
Last season his form was so good it prompted Pochettino to say that Spurs "do not exist" without him but, aside from a man-of-the-match display against Arsenal, he is yet to reach that level this term.
"He is a very important player for us," Pochettino said. "Many, many small thing happeneds around him, so he cannot show his real quality. But he is important for us and he must be an important player this season. He is nearly back to his best."