Spurs fans were surprised to hear Dele Alli take the blame for Olympiakos’ second goal on Tuesday night, although many fans commended the 23-year-old for taking responsibility.
According to the Standard (via HotspurRelated), Alli spoke about the result and the team performance, saying: “In the end, it was a positive result. I think it was down to character and belief, the quality we have. I felt I was at fault for their second and I wanted to help the team”.
Alli scored the first of Spurs’ goals on the evening and was instrumental in helping the home side secure a 4-2 victory; a win which makes sure of qualification to the knockout stages.
Alli had struggled under Mauricio Pochettino at the beginning of the season, which may have been due in part to his pre-season injury, but it looks like he will soon be back to his best under Jose Mourinho; with the England international receiving 7.54 and 7.94 ratings for his performances against West Ham and Olympiakos. It was impressive to see Alli taking responsibility and showing a desire to improve despite his impressive performance against the Greek side and fans will no doubt want to see more of the former MK Dons man in the upcoming games.
Was Dele Alli actually at fault for the second Olympiakos goal?
Yes
No
Reaction from Spurs fans to Alli’s quote and his recent performances can be seen in the tweets below.
Never used to admit to wrong doings. I’m loving this new Dele
— ???x (@_10Kane) November 27, 2019
Great leadership by @dele_official because he wasn’t at fault for that goal.
— Tottenham Loyal (@TottenhamLoyal) November 27, 2019
Props for taking that on. Guy is a team player and there for the club. #classact
— Bryce Cathcart (@Brycecathcart) November 28, 2019
Jose has really given him a kick up the backside!
— Harry C (@HazSpur92) November 27, 2019
As if Jose has kidnapped the real alli and replaced him with some random guy
— Sammy Conway (@sammyhconway) November 27, 2019
Well the entire defense was just standing there so don’t take all the blame
— Matthew (@MathTHFC) November 27, 2019
These Spurs fans were clearly delighted to see Alli step up and take responsibility considering his age and will be hoping that the 23-year-old continues to improve under Mourinho’s management.
What do we think?
It is impressive that Alli was willing to admit a mistake following Spurs’ comeback victory when he had no obligation to do so and it shows the impact Mourinho is already having on the squad. Alli has been really impressive in Mourinho’s first two games in charge and looks like he will be key to Spurs as they look to move back up the table.