Middlesbrough head coach Aitor Karanka has told his players to vent their frustration behind closed doors after Victor Valdes and Adam Clayton clashed on the pitch at home to Tottenham on Saturday.
Goalkeeper Valdes and midfielder Clayton had to be separated by central defender Ben Gibson after a row in the first half of the 2-1 defeat.
Karanka said: "Always it's positive to argue with your teammates when you are a leader and when you want to win the games. The only thing is that it wasn't the place.
"I said after the game that we have a lot of time here at the training ground, we have time in the changing room at the stadium, so I don't think it's good for anybody to argue on the pitch.
"But again, both of them showed that they were characters -- that's the kind of thing I want in the team because I can't be on the pitch, so I need some leaders on the pitch.
"They know they made a mistake, but we showed that everybody on the pitch wants to win the games."
The defeat by Spurs was promoted Boro's third on the trot, and they now face a crunch game at struggling West Ham on Saturday.
However, Karanka remains confident that his team can rediscover the form they showed in a solid start to the season and could welcome back captain Grant Leadbitter sooner than expected.
The 30-year-old midfielder underwent hernia surgery during the summer, but follow-up scans showed the damage was more extensive than first thought and Boro feared he could be sidelined until Christmas.
However, Karanka has revealed that Leadbitter could return within weeks.
He said: "He's improved a lot in the last two or three weeks, so hopefully sooner than we thought."
