Match of the Day pundit Jermaine Jenas believes that Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino’s tactical switch has allowed Dele Alli more responsibility as a midfielder.
He says that playing in a 4-3-3 formation has ensured that the Spurs playmaker has more responsibility in his position – something which Jenas did not think he was capable of doing before.
He adds that he did not think Alli – who is on £55,000-a-week [Spotrac] – was capable of making it at such a high level with Tottenham, or even have much of an impact on the side as he thought he was “more of a Frank Lampard”.
“Mauricio has played 4-3-3 at times which has meant Sissoko has been tucked in, Dele on the other side and Harry Winks or Eric Dier holding. It gives Dele more responsibility as a midfielder which actually I didn’t think he was capable of,” he told the Times.
“I didn’t think he could do it at the top level and have an impact. I thought he was more of a Frank Lampard, “Right I am going to get you 15 goals”, not box-to-box, tackling, clearing from defensive area.”
OPINION
It is easy to forget that Dele Alli is still only 22-years-old, as he has been rather impressive for Tottenham recently. However, the fact that he did not think Alli was capable of handling his responsibility as a midfielder in the 4-3-3 formation would seem ludicrous now. That being said, even though he has been playing at a high level for a while now, his lack of experience can shine through because of his age. This makes Jenas’ point fairly valid, but on the whole, Alli has never had a game which has been disastrous for Tottenham. He is usually very consistent and it is unlikely that the manager is going to drop him to the bench any time soon. Nevertheless, it is safe to say that he has proved Jenas wrong in one respect – and that is performing at a high level and makiing an impact. The star’s performance against Chelsea last weekend demonstrates that he can do just that, especially his effort that initially put his side ahead in the game.