Kieran Trippier has claimed that Dele Alli was one of the standout players at Tottenham when he left the club to join Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2019.
Alli’s career trajectory has experienced a massive decline over the past couple of years and it came as a shock to many when the midfielder completed a loan move to Besiktas during the summer, just seven months on from swapping Spurs for Everton.
Frank Lampard did not mince his words when asked about the reasons behind the 26-year-old’s struggles at Everton, with the Toffees boss suggesting that the midfielder lacks the focus necessary to be successful at the top level (The Mirror).
The England international has not been able to rediscover his mojo in Turkey either, having scored just once in seven league appearances for Besiktas this season (Transfermarkt).
Besiktas manager Senol Gunes even publicly criticised the former Tottenham man a couple of weeks ago, stating that his performances have been ‘below expectations’ so far this season (The Sun).
Trippier has now credited Mauricio Pochettino’s man-management as one of the main reasons behind Alli’s success at Spurs.
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The Newcastle star told Under The Cosh’s YouTube channel about his former Tottenham teammate: “Poch was brilliant with Dele to be fair and Dele was flying at Tottenham.
“It’s one of those where I left and went to Atletico Madrid and he was there for two years after. But even my last season there he was flying, he’s a great lad, but Poch was brilliant with him.”
Spurs Web Opinion
There are probably several reasons behind Dele’s steep decline and once a slide like this starts, it can be difficult to stop, given that the midfielder’s confidence has clearly been dented.
It was the arrogance he possessed as a youngster that made him such a dangerous player, and that has understandably disappeared over the last couple of years.
The 26-year-old might also have fallen out of love with the game to a certain extent, given the highs he tasted early in his career and the subsequent lows he has had to deal with.
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