"That is what makes a really special player." ✨
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 2, 2020
Mauricio Pochettino explains the similarities between Ronaldinho and Dele Alli…
What a comparison! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/TNswPkAF68
As per this morning’s earlier piece, Mauricio Pochettino made a guest appearance on Monday Night Football last night, presumably to aid his cause of returning to top flight management in England. The gaffer looked well, a tad paunchy (who amongst us has genuinely lost weight during the lockdown?) and was sporting a brand new, full length syrup.
Dele Alli’s luck has been at low ebb of late, it was suggested in the press yesterday that the Englishman was struggling to come to terms with being cast aside by José Mourinho. Indeed, it was believed that Dele and the gaffer had not even sat down and discussed what the problem was. Personally I find this a suspicious leak, given I understand what the problem is – and I got that from just watching the All or Nothing shows!
Hope could be on the horizon, from an unexpected source – Pochettino himself. England and Tottenham coaches may have lost faith in Alli, but the Argentine has not. To Poch, the 24-year-old is in the same bracket as Ronaldinho…
8 Games playing well over 2 years is hardly a great recommendation. Consistently playing well is more important and its clear he cannot sustain that level currently. I’m happy to be proven wrong, but I’m not seeing a lot of evidence that I am and where exactly have I re-written history??????
In Mourinho’s first 8 games Dele scored 5 goals including a crucial CL goal and beautiful finishes against Bournemouth, Brighton and Manchester United. The latter 2 were quite magnificent. Mourinho was praising him and congratulating him vociferously. Dele looked reborn and was our best player at that stage. I have absolutely no idea what games you were watching but it might be worth revisiting late November when Mourinho joined Tottenham to remind yourself. Dele is not delivering now and hasn’t done in 2020 but you keep re-writing history to make a point. Dele is currently, for whatever reason, completely out of sorts and needs to do whatever it takes to get back to where he was. You and I have absolutely no idea what the problem is but at his best Dele is a game changer and match winner and we need that Dele back. We still have plenty of games/parts of games where we lack the inspiration that he has given us in the past. Mourinho is a winner and a great manager in which case he should be able to help Dele do whatever needs to be done because that’s what great managers and winners do.
“When Jose first arrived Dele was our best player so I am not sure what happened.” REALLY??? What games were you looking at then? He’s been phoning it in for at least a year and a half. That’s attitude, pure and simple. If you’re struggling for confidence you see someone about it and work harder to get your game back, like good pro’s do. He’s not doing the hard yards anymore and winners like Mourinho won’t put up with it.
Not putting in the performances/struggling/lacking confidence – who knows. With Dele we are all guessing what the problem is although you seem very clear as if you know what is going on. I have seen many clips where Dele has come across as an extremely mature and well rounded individual. When Jose first arrived Dele was our best player so I am not sure what happened. Everyone is blaming Dele but there may be a lot more to it than any of us know and it may just be that Jose is not managing him as well as he could – Jose certainly has plenty of previous. A player with Dele’s ability should be delivering. Dele needs to sort himself out; Jose needs to manage him and bring the best out of him as this is a manager’s job.
Poch back, no thanks. That ship has well and truly sailed. He was good of his time, but by the end it as clear he was a spent force. The writing was on the wall pretty much from the CL defeat. I think the big question is why will Levy back Mourinho and didn’t back Poch? I think the fact that Mourinho is a proven winner is a big factor in that.
Totally agree. You can see the lung busting runs back and forth on the pitch from Grealish and his work ethic is 2nd to none and he has matured, not something that can be said of Alli.
He’s not struggling, he’s not putting in the performances and has not done so for at least 2 years. He had a good spell when he was new, hungry and not spoilt, but it is clear that all the adulation, fame and fortune have gone to his head. He’s also not maturing as a person judging by the conversation with Jose on the Amazon documentary. He flatters to deceive on pretty much every level now. He has a role model of what good looks like with Harry Kane, but does he learn? No.
Only half?? You’re a hard taskmaster. 🤣
He had magic in his boots, a total genius.
& my guess is, if that is a possibility, José will want a swap for McTominay.
Covid doesn’t just affect Dele, so if everyone else is working hard & doing what José asks, why isn’t he?
I too was at that match & that’s the level where Dele should STILL be & NOT (as asked/warned nearly a year ago), playing like he’s Dele’s brother!
Natural talent, playing with freedom and flair etc. Is there any difference to the overall point?
Agree on Dembele, think Tanguy is the closest in likeness as a player since. Although much earlier in his development.
OK, he is talking about his personality and how likable he is as a person, not his skill level or work ethic. Poch even says this at the end of the clip. Lets not read more into it than what is there.
Agreed and I don’t think you can judge anyone for how they perform during covid. When the stadiums are full and football is back proper then judge him. Like poch said we want what’s going on right now to be real football but in our hearts we know it’s not and maybe that’s what dele needs. I was there when he ripped a top Real Madrid at Wembley and I was there when he exploded on the scene, the boy is special.
Alli’s self ego problem is that he thinks via his neat flicks and touches that he is Johan Cruyff but he ain’t any where near that legend!
Alli’s self ego problem is that he thinks via his neat flicks and touches that he is Johan Cruyff but he ain’t any where near that legend!
I’d take Grealish over Alli any day. Perfect for our side but sadly never materialised due to a whakky offer!
Glen Hoddle was half decent!!!!
Sadly another with off field issues,great as he was.
No he’s talking about genuine natural Talent. He said the same about Dembele before he left us… I would say the best I’ve seen in my lifetime that possessed this was my childhood hero. Paul Gascoigne.
I’m not sure he would go to Utd.They can’t accomodate all their MFs and contrary to what Ole says van der Beek can’t get more than a few minutes in some games.
However it is feasable that Poch would indulge him once more.Perhaps Poch would sell Pogba which wouldn’t be the worst decision for Utd.
Moussa Dembele he used to say was a genius like maradona and ronaldinho… To be fair to Botch he did play alongside both.
Ok I’ll take this but I’m not buying Harry Winks is the new Iniesta
We shouldn’t re-write history just because he’s struggling. Take a look at his goals for Tottenham. Of his first 50 PL goals, 30 were away which is extraordinary. Flat rack bullies score most of their goals at home. So many of the goals were crucial to the outcome of the game; a decent proportion are against the top teams; many of them are amazing finishes. This is a player with real talent and certainly not the snowflake/looks good when we are winning that you make out. However something has gone wrong and I would imagine it is his attitude to training and his off field activities. Lampard and Kane are players who work(ed) incredibly hard at their game. Not sure Dele does and that appears to be why his game is suffering and he has fallen out of favour with a very tough task master.
He’ll go to Man United with Poch and look half decent alongside all their other sugar plumb fairies like Martial etc
Alli is the epitome of a snowflake English player. He looks good when winning and its all easy, but when hard work and dedication is required when things aren’t going so well he’s found wanting. Still a man-boy and needs to grow up or move on.
I’m not sure Alli fits Jose’s style of play and may be better off going to France or Spain. He was always renowned for having an “engine” but he does seem lethargic and slower at the moment…
I’m pretty sure he compared Dele Alli to Maradona. He mentioned other people that have the same Ora as Maradona after sharing a room with him and he said Ronaldinho and Dele Alli.
It was nice to see Poch last night, with his new ‘Syrup’ as you say !!! Nobody has ever denied that Alli has talent, not many players could have scored the overhead flick and volley at Selhurst park, but the problem was that while we had Dembele, Erikson, Kane, Son etc controlling games, it was easy for him to perform flicks and tricks, and get on the end of crosses and passes from those players, the problems started when the team was not doing so well and players had to roll their sleeves up and earn the right to play. Look at Jamie Vardy last night, 33 years old, making constant runs, giving defenders nightmares, it was called ‘Hard Work’, and allied to having talent..
What he’s saying is that some players have a personality that makes them a bit of a one off, almost as if they play the game instinctively. Also that kids love players like that, I have a nephew who loved being Dele on the XBOX or whatever, flair players. I don’t think he’s saying he’s making any direct comparisons here, although I’m sure the media will now jump over it and say he’s been compared to Maradona!
Poch loves Tottenham and we love Poch. One of our own, he’ll be back eventually.
In the meantime Jose can win us a pot with the backing Poch never got…
COYS!