Dele Alli, starts soon

[nicdic]

He's going to be great, and been very impressed by him thus far. I think I'd still have him behind Mason in the pecking order when everyone is fully fit.

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

He's going to be great, and been very impressed by him thus far. I think I'd still have him behind Mason in the pecking order when everyone is fully fit.

Agree with this. He has massive potential but understandably is not quite there yet. Mason is currently more of the complete package.

 

[Insomnia]

Agree with this. He has massive potential but understandably is not quite there yet. Mason is currently more of the complete package.

What a great problem Poch will have on his hands

 

[Spurrific]

He's going to be great, and been very impressed by him thus far. I think I'd still have him behind Mason in the pecking order when everyone is fully fit.

I do really like the energy of Alli next to the steel of Dier, but at times I would like a bit more finesse in there - which is why I think Mason next to Dier is our strongest pairing.

He's got a great future, and offers a lot currently, without doubt. Very happy we took the punt.

 

[carpediem991]

I think some of us are forgetting Nabil Bentaleb should be coming back soon. And he was immense at times last season. He started the season rather poorly though with some upfuck passes but I believe he can get over this.
I like Alli, and he doesn't need to hide himself behind Ryan or Nabil, but I don't think he is there yet to start every Premier League game.

 

[kmk]

Where are you going to play him though?

He isn't a pivot CM, and he isn't creative enough to play as a no10.

He is a box2box midfielder like Paulinho.

Unless the manager adapts then he won't fulfill his undoubted potential.

It was interesting that in yesterday's MNF post match discussion on Sky, Gary Neville suggested that Alli is an all round central midfielder who could do everything.

Although this is quiet rare in the modern game, all round midfielders were common 20 years ago. E.g Bryan Robson and Roy Keane.

 

[beats1]

I think some of us are forgetting Nabil Bentaleb should be coming back soon. And he was immense at times last season. He started the season rather poorly though with some upfuck passes but I believe he can get over this.
I like Alli, and he doesn't need to hide himself behind Ryan or Nabil, but I don't think he is there yet to start every Premier League game.

Its a funny old game Nabil has gone from hero to zero on here. At the start of the season he was everyone no.1 CM with Mason according to some people 4th choice behind Alli and ????(the DM that never came). Yet 3 months later the opposite has happened

IMO the everton game showed me that a midfield 3 of Mason, Dier and Bentaleb is our no.1 midfield. People may say that it was 4231 but mason kept slotting back in to midfield and it was more of a CM3.

 

[Lilbaz]

He's already had 70 odd games at senior level. He's already played man utd twice. What is he going to learn from cup games?
He needs premiership games. At the moment i'd start him and dier as the midfield 2.

@beats1 Not everyone was saying at the beginning of the season that bentaleb should be first choice.

This does not mean that bentaleb has gone to zero. He will (when fit) be rotated as will mason. This will help keep everyone fresh.
This is a squad game now. People get way too hung up on their favourite 11.
Our medical team will be checking each player, if they need a rest and poch agrees someone else will come in.
All 4 are capable of doing a very good job in cm and will improve with experience.

 

[beats1]

@beats1 Not everyone was saying at the beginning of the season that bentaleb should be first choice.

This does not mean that bentaleb has gone to zero. He will (when fit) be rotated as will mason. This will help keep everyone fresh.
This is a squad game now. People get way too hung up on their favourite 11.
Our medical team will be checking each player, if they need a rest and poch agrees someone else will come in.
All 4 are capable of doing a very good job in cm and will improve with experience.

Im not saying he has gone to zero but there was a backlash after some poor games and has fallen out of favour on the forum since his lack of game time with the rise of Mason(who was 4th choice), Dier(who wasn't even an option), dembele(who apparently was on his way to the exit door) and Alli

I agree about it being a squad game and he will imo be first choice over Dembele once he gets back

 

[yusrisafri]

For me there are 2 aspects of his game which is beyond his years and that is his pressing/defensive work and his overall play in the final third. He does struggle with 2 banks of four in front of him and the ball at his feet but as soon as he gets near the box he is one of our most dangerous players and always a threat with his shooting

Exactly what Jenas was

 

[danielneeds]

Exactly what Jenas was

He does have some similar characteristics to JJ, it's true. The crucial differences for me is that he does have some trickery in his locker in the final third, and even more importantly it's his personality. He's got a fearlessness and a cocky bravado where JJ seemed to go into his shell when things weren't going his way.

 

[Mr Pink]

Its a funny old game Nabil has gone from hero to zero on here. At the start of the season he was everyone no.1 CM with Mason according to some people 4th choice behind Alli and ????(the DM that never came). Yet 3 months later the opposite has happened

IMO the everton game showed me that a midfield 3 of Mason, Dier and Bentaleb is our no.1 midfield. People may say that it was 4231 but mason kept slotting back in to midfield and it was more of a CM3.

I still think the Everton game was our best performance of the season so far.

Its a game we should of won 2-0 really.

 

[Cicinho]

oh yeah, a 19 year old central midfielder is the key to our problems.

christ. Ive got nothing against Alli, but lets try for just a smidge of reality.

smidge of reality? dear oh dear!
for once in your tenure here could you possibly come out and say
'i got this one wrong, i called it wrong' ?....

 

[Cicinho]

this thread is now legendary

 

[nicdic]

this thread is now legendary

Because some people didn't think back in November he should be starting every game? Scoring a worldy today means that that was wrong?

I still don't think he should start every game. He's 19, he's got phenomenal potential, we want to nurture him and help him reach that. Also, it's a squad game, some times it might be better to go with other players.

 

[fortworthspur]

smidge of reality? dear oh dear!
for once in your tenure here could you possibly come out and say
'i got this one wrong, i called it wrong' ?....

Im happy to say I got this wrong. I got this wrong. BTW, Ive admitted elsewhere already.

But did you really expect me to go searching for a post I made 5 months ago to correct it?

 

[fortworthspur]

my post from the "Things you were wrong about thread", dated December 30:

" I was wrong that we were fucked when we didnt get an experienced midfielder in August. I really thought we were screwed. And I was wrong when I said Alli wasnt the answer - not that I had any reason to believe he was crap, but just because I couldnt imagine a 19 year old playing as well as he has played. Which btw leads me to the few who arent convinced Alli is a special player - imagine him out of the side for 2 months."


http://www.spurscommunity.co.uk/ind...nsure-of-spurswise.122979/page-2#post-4890946