'I am the boss' says Pochettino as he plays down Rose's derby anger

Rose admitted he was "fuming" to be left out of the squad against Arsenal but the left-back played 90 minutes in the win over Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday and denied any bust-up with Pochettino.

Ben Davies is now likely to come back in for Saturday's game at home to West Brom and Pochettino said ahead of the match he has no problem with Rose's comments.

"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.

"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."

Rose was forced to apologise in August for suggesting he could leave Tottenham and while he has since said he wants to help the team win trophies this season, the 27-year-old has been noticeably coy about committing his future any longer.

Pochettino also side-stepped the issue.

"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."

Toby Alderweireld and Victor Wanyama will miss the West Brom game with hamstring and knee injuries respectively, with Spurs confirming on Thursday they do not expect Alderweireld to return until the new year.

Erik Lamela has recovered from a long-term problem with his hips but Pochettino is still waiting for the winger to say he feels ready to play.

Pochettino has also tried to make contact with Sevilla coach Eduardo Berizzo, with whom he was a team-mate and friend at Argentine club Newell's Old Boys. Berizzo has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Sevilla came back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 against Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday.

"I sent a text to his assistant, I tried to contact him but it was impossible by phone," Pochettino said. "I'm with him at this difficult moment, of course I want to send best wishes for all that he is going to do."