Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has defended the form of Dele Alli following the wide criticism he has received of late.
The 21-year-old attacking midfielder is currently on a four-game goal drought and a selection of fans believe that he is struggling to make a serious impact on matches this season.
He has still remained a mainstay in the starting XI and has scored seven goals in 17 appearances so far.
The England international has a huge reputation after winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award for the last two consecutive seasons and is viewed a key man in the Spurs team.
Alli was unable to make a difference on Tuesday night as the north London club slipped to seventh in the Premier League table following a 2-1 loss away to Leicester.
Pochettino has explained that critics are forgetting how young the playmaker is and he stressed he is pleased with his recent efforts.
“I’m so happy with him. He’s so young, he needs to find his balance but I am happy with him. It’s normal we expect so much from him because he’s talented,” Pochettino said in his pre-match press conference, as quoted by Sky Sports.
“We expect him to do unbelievable things every game. Senior players struggle during 10 months to keep the performance, with Dele he is young.”
OPINION
The last time the critics were circling around Alli this season he scored two goals in a win against Real Madrid and he is certainly capable of top moments at any point. He could do with a strong performance at the weekend when Spurs travel to Watford for a Premier League clash to remind people of his quality. Most importantly for Alli he still has the full backing of his manager Pochettino and that will allow him to do his talking on the pitch. The creative playmaker has still directly contributed to 11 goals so far this campaign and continues to be an integral part of his side’s success.