Dele Alli at Everton

[mrlilywhite]

I'm seeing a player in transition from a no. 10 to a CM. He didn't play much last year so he is about where you'd expect him to be.

Dier was getting stick last year with plenty of (the ususal) posters saying they wanted rid, waste of space, stealing a living...

It takes time and in Allis case I think it'll be worth it. He's got the raw materials to make it work; a great engine, size, a good touch, decent vision and can score a few. He needs to learn to release the ball quicker but that is already starting to happen, he needs to get his timings right to make good runs into the box as well as get stuck in more but again, there are signs for improvement.

I'm going to support him in this, show a little patience and belief. That's what supporters do isn't it?

I'm seeing a player who is totally bereft of how to impact a game when the game isn't centred around bringing the best of him out. Alli has never been a true number 10 as the role specifies & suggests & technically short of the required ability too. Alli was more regarded as a box to box midfielder, which given his high work rate, and ability to make late runs into attacking space is about right, however, he doesn't truly fit the criteria when it comes to defensive duties wither though. It doesn't matter what Alli is, the focus should be on what he isn't & that is being effective, which he hasn't been consistently for some length of time now. This isn't a player in transition, this is a player who has been found wanting & one who offers very little.

This isn't a supporter issue through lack of offering belief or patience - this is about identifying a player who once had the world at his feet, but eventually lost his way over 2 seasons ago and regressed. Football teams can't build a team around players like Alli, they either contribute or they don't and in his case, it is the latter.

 

[PLTuck]

Isn't Dier performing well now?

Why can't we expect Dele to develop?

Careful mate, you are straying into the realm of 'supporting' your player there. That is done for selected players here, while others that have shown more desire for the shirt, and more loyalty to the club and fans are completely given up on with no hope of redemption or improvement.

 

[mrlilywhite]

Literally trolling your own player. Well done.

Pointing out facts isn't trolling - it's actually showing statistically, that Alli is as bad as what you actually see. The stats just show an even worse overall picture.

 

[rossdapep]

To think at one point we could have got £40/50m+ for Alli and Dier

This is when you need good vision at the club.

Some clubs know when the right time to let players go is.

For example, Chelsea let Hazard go at the right time. He would always have an incredible season followed by a relatively average one by his standards.

Coutinho is another.

It's always easier when there is big money on the table but I do think 30 or 40m for Dier and 30m for Rose would actually have been good deals to do.

The reason for that is they both have technical limitations and could easily be replaced with similar or better players for less.

Dele, however, was a difficult one. He was one of the best players in the league and looked like he could be a potential superstar, he was getting close to that. One of those players, who wasn't necessarily a dominator but just had the knack of producing in big games.

I'll never criticise the club for not cashing in on him because it did look like he was one of those players you want in big games. If we had have sold him at the time fans would have been rightly furious.

Dier, Toby, Rose - I believe you could cash in on those because they were at their peak of age or their ability and there was always a high chance they'd drop off and become not very valuable.

This is the big take from the Poch years for me. A lot of that squad played out of their skin and were going to hit a wall, we didn't try to shuffle those players when we had a chance and because of that we have ended up getting stuck with them.

If it was just Dele alone, I don't think we'd be particularly fussed and wouldn't be suffering to much. The problem we had is that about 6 or 7 of them all hit that slump.

 

[Typical Spurs]

He's just massively regressed as a footballer. And that happens. There have been countless players who seemed to have it all and it goes pear shaped. I think he's one of them.

He's so poor on the ball. Way to slow when deciding what to do with it. I thought he was really awful yesterday.

I'd love him to come good again but it will never happen in my opinion.

 

[kremlyn]

Pointing out facts isn't trolling - it's actually showing statistically, that Alli is as bad as what you actually see. The stats just show an even worse overall picture.

There is criticism and there is constructive criticism. One is supportive as befots a supporter. The other is negging as befits a super online fan who trolls their own players becsuse they want a new one.

 

[whenstevewentup]

There is criticism and there is constructive criticism. One is supportive as befots a supporter. The other is negging as befits a super online fan who trolls their own players becsuse they want a new one.

 

[Spurs 1961]

Personally I felt that Dele tried to make things happen. He made some great interceptions and sought to drive us forward. The likes of Winks, Skipp, PEH don’t do this. Sure he is not Kante, but no one is.
He doesn’t hide in games so his mistakes are highlighted. That’s OK but seeing what he does do would be nice.

 

[G Ron]

I suggest you rewatch the first half if you think lo celso was as bad as Dele. Funny how all of our best attacking moments came through lo celso, his pass to son and regs. But you ignore that.

No thanks mate. Watching the match live in the stadium was enough for me. I’m not a masochist.

Am I also ignoring him cheaply surrendering possession in his own half in the lead up the Chelsea’s second as that is quite prominent in my recollection from the game?

 

[G Ron]

I'm seeing a player in transition from a no. 10 to a CM. He didn't play much last year so he is about where you'd expect him to be.

Dier was getting stick last year with plenty of (the ususal) posters saying they wanted rid, waste of space, stealing a living...

It takes time and in Allis case I think it'll be worth it. He's got the raw materials to make it work; a great engine, size, a good touch, decent vision and can score a few. He needs to learn to release the ball quicker but that is already starting to happen, he needs to get his timings right to make good runs into the box as well as get stuck in more but again, there are signs for improvement.

I'm going to support him in this, show a little patience and belief. That's what supporters do isn't it?

We’ve been doing that for three years now. How long until we can accept that he’s no longer the answer?

 

[kremlyn]

Until he leaves or manages it?

 

[Delboy75]

Really one of the strangest players ever. Even after 6 years it’s hard to evaluate him. Crazy early numbers as good as any teenager ever.Known for his nutmegs and flicks and yet technically I just don’t think he’s very good, but on the other hand he’s scored 2 of the best technical goals I ever seen, the Palace goal and one Vs United. Again on the other hand often compared to lingard but I could never see him scoring the goal Lingard did this weekend. I do think this position is probably his best option, using athleticism and arriving late for goals. But he really is in last last chance salon. This season absolutely make or break not just at Spurs but his whole career imo.

 

[Deleted member 29446]

Ahhh I get it.

Just run around a bit and you will get a "he has been a positive this season" from Spurs fans.

 

[spurs mental]

If he's going to be playing the role behind the front man, whether it's Kane or Son, we desperate need one of Ndombele to GLC to start being that creative outlet. It's why he thrived so much with Eriksen.

God I miss Eriksen.

 

[Deleted member 29446]

If he's going to be playing the role behind the front man, whether it's Kane or Son, we desperate need one of Ndombele to GLC to start being that creative outlet. It's why he thrived so much with Eriksen.

God I miss Eriksen.

SC:

WhiteDane:

 

[ralphs bald spot]

If he's going to be playing the role behind the front man, whether it's Kane or Son, we desperate need one of Ndombele to GLC to start being that creative outlet. It's why he thrived so much with Eriksen.

God I miss Eriksen.

so does Dele

 

[DEFchenkOE]

The fact is the only time Dele was useful for the team was when we had a superb cm like Dembele who could run the game, and someone like Eriksen who could pick out those runs into the box with extreme accuracy. But technically he is just really poor, his short to mid passing game is below standard. When would you ever see him do that pass and move into the box like what Ndombele done with Kane against Rennes last week? He is supposed to the most creative of our 3cms, but he can't even shoot. He is not a threat at all from outside the box with the ball at his feet. He has good ability for one touch finishes and volleys, but that's about it.

When I see his vids in pre season of him working out and getting in shape I think he has it backwards. He needs to go back to basics and work on his passing, improve his left foot, practice shooting from outside the box, he hasn't improved none of these aspects of his game and it's the exact reason he will continue to be ineffective for the rest of his career at the top level.

 

[Aphex]

At the end of the day he isn't and never will be good enough to play for Spurs going forwards. You could have dated this post in 2019 and it would still be accurate.

The longer the club entertains these average players the longer we will under perform.

Football isn't rocket science, you need good players that fit a system, and play it well. Alli is not a good player and he doesn't fit the system.

One of Nuno's first major mistakes has been to shoehorn Alli into the side as some sort of hard running CM, but as the stats indicate, he is appalling at keeping possession which is a essential requirement for a midfielder. He is poor technically and his passing is 90% of the time terrible. He also holds on to the ball far too long.

He should ne another clubs problem by now.

 

[Ginol-ooh!]

It seems a bit harsh to say he's not a good player. He's got 126 combined assists and goals for us in 258 games.

He had three very good seasons, two seasons that were heavily disrupted by injury (one of which he actually did alright for some of it when Mourinho first came in), one season where Mourinho seemed to break his confidence and he barely got any game time in the Premier League (and then he did OK in most of the games he got under Mason), and then this season, where he's had to change position and has been pretty good for three games, and then not so good for two of them. He's still learning a new position.

He's generally done alright when we've had a more coherent system. Our attacking play went to pot under Mourinho though, and the only players that came out of it well were Son and Kane as they can create their own chances and link up well together. Dele seems to depend a lot more on the system he's in but I'm hoping there's still a good player in there if we become a more coherent team again.

 

[mpickard2087]

None of this should really be a surprise. I've copped some stick at times for my views on Alli, but since his first season at Spurs I have always said that the aim should be that the only time he touches the ball is in the opposition penalty area.

He has never been a player you want on the ball, in the general passages of possession/play. He is one paced, at his languid tempo. Not particularly nimble on his feet. Doesn't really possess a sharp touch or range of pass. Doesn't see the game and the options available quickly. Isn't comfortable finding and creating space and getting it in tight quarters or between the lines. Doesn't know how to dictate play and tempo. When to keep it simple and when to move it more expansively. Etc, etc. He simply doesn't have it to play in this way.

I've always scratched my head at fans who clamoured for him to develop and play as a central midfielder. We're seeing how I thought it would go. He's trying his best to do it to be fair to him, but just doesn't have the game for it.

His qualities are purely in and around the penalty area. He's a fairly unflappable character who will try high risk or outrageous things, and keep trying them until they come off. Is capable of flair moments. is a reasonably composed finisher, with feet or head, when he's in front of goal. And, especially in his early days, has much better instinct and anticipation than most for where the ball will drop and to sniff out the right place to be to score a goal.

The system he was introduced into under Poch played to the strengths. He was basically a striker, could just get very advanced and had the likes of Eriksen (and sometimes Lamela as well) who could create and play between the lines and leave him to get into the box. Kane played a lot higher then and would combine with him. Plus as a team we were dominant most weeks, meaning he had a platform to a) be getting the ball high up the pitch and b) try his stuff and be wasteful, because the supply was pretty constant and eventually his high risk stuff would come off.

He needs a structure and platform to accommodate him and make him useful. High up the pitch, high possession to absorb his wastefulness, get him in the box, basically dominating games. In recent years though we haven't been good enough to do that, haven't been trying to do that, and questions remain as to whether we're trying to do that going forward. So I don't see how it works for him.