BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks has warned Dele Alli that he faces a major battle to win back his Tottenham starting place due to the excellence of Erik Lamela.
The Argentina international continued his golden run with his sixth goal of the season as Spurs secured an impressive 3-2 win at Wolves on Saturday.
Former Spurs striker Crooks is convinced that England star Alli could be on the substitute’s bench for an extended period due to the form of his 6ft (source: Transfermarkt) teammate.
“Last week I told you that Erik Lamela had the ability to force Mauricio Pochettino to place Dele Alli onto the bench for a period of time,” Crooks the BBC Sport site as he named Lamela in his team of the week.
“The Argentine’s performance against Wolves simply reinforced what I already knew. If Alli knows what is good for him he should treat the challenge as a compliment.
“Competition for places has always been in the best interest of the team and the player on the bench can learn a lot. Mainly how to win his place back.”
OPINION
Lamela has often been Spurs’ 12th man during his time at the club, shoehorned into the side to fill a gap and then dropping out when all the big names are available. Finally, after undergoing double hip surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation that robbed him of nearly a year of his career, the Argentine attacker is establishing himself as a first choice starter on merit. Alli did not make the matchday squad at Molineux and Christian Eriksen was once again on the bench on Saturday as Mauricio Pochettino stuck with those who thrived during their extended injury absences. Lamela and Lucas Moura both responded with goals and, for good measure, the former completed the full 90 minutes. That was once a rarity for him, but is now becoming commonplace. He has the trust of his manager and is becoming too consistently effective to be rotated or rested, as was once a regularity for someone who was not a main man.