Opinion: Dele Alli – The under-appreciated Tottenham gem

As the Jose Mourinho era takes place at Tottenham Hotspur, one man continues to flourish. That player is Dele Alli. But has he silenced the doubters once and for all as he looks for a return to the England squad?

Before the sacking of Mauricio Pochettino in November, the jury was out on Alli. The 23-year-old had certainly been struggling for form, which was earmarked by the criticism from Roy Keane and Gary Neville after the away trip to Liverpool.

Prior to Pochettino’s departure, Alli had managed just two goals and an assist in what was certainly a worrying spell for the forward (TransferMarkt).

Questions started to be asked of Dele Alli last season. He had failed to match the high expectations of his breakthrough seasons at the club. However, the 2018/2019 season should certainly be seen as a learning curve, as it was the first time we had seen the forward with injury problems.

Despite this, Alli still managed to have an influence on the big games. The Englishman had scored against: Chelsea, away to Arsenal in the Carabao Cup, and let’s not forget the two assists to Lucas Moura away to Ajax in the semi-final of the Champions League (TransferMarkt).

I was somewhat surprised to see so many doubt Dele Alli after three incredible seasons. Following his arrival from MK Dons, Alli had been awarded with back to back PFA Young Player of the Year prizes.

In his first season, Dele had also scored the goal of the season against Crystal Palace and awarded a place in the England squad after being pivotal as Spurs went for the league.

The second season saw Dele Alli involved in 35 goals for the club and score in games against Chelsea, Man City and Arsenal as once again Spurs pushed hard for an unprecedented Premier League title (TransferMarkt).

As Dele Alli had become a key member of the Tottenham team, he was also earning a reputation of delivering for England. At the 2018 World Cup, Dele scored the winning goal against Sweden in the Quarter Finals as the nation fell in love with the semi-finalists.

There was almost an expectation for Alli to deliver on the big stages. In the 2017/2018 season, the midfielder had given the Tottenham faithful some incredible moments.

A brace against the European champions, Real Madrid, under the floodlights of Wembley was certainly a night to remember. But the fact that Dele Alli had almost single handily extinguished the Stamford Bridge hoodoo of 28 years after a brace in a 3-1 win will live long in the memory for many Spurs fans (TransferMarkt).

Upon the arrival of Mourinho, Dele has scored four and also assisted two (TransferMarkt), as we have once again seen the player prove influential when played in his rightful position directly behind Harry Kane.

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