During the latest episode of the Extra Inch podcast, Chris Miller, Nathan Clark and Bardi have been discussing the latest goings-on at Tottenham Hotspur, with a focus on the 2-1 win against Brighton and Hove Albion last weekend.
One topic of discussion in the recent episode, which was titled ‘Bridging‘, was Spurs midfielder, Dele Alli. The Englishman was dropped for Spurs’ latest Premier League fixture against Brighton and Hove Albion and he struggled to have much impact in his last appearance for the Lilywhites, earning a disappointing 5.87 rating for his first-half display against Royal Antwerp, before being substituted at half-time by Jose Mourinho (per WhoScored).
Miller prompted the discussion on the former MK Dons man, saying: “It’s not looking great for Dele.
“I thought he played, at times, quite well [against Royal Antwerp]. At times, definitely, he made the wrong decision, he pressed pretty well compared to the rest of the team, he was leading the press, I would say. What did you think overall and how sad are you about the situation with Dele right now?”
Clark replied, saying:
“Increasingly. I guess you can say at least it wasn’t just him left out of the Brighton squad, there’s some company in the doghouse. He’s such a talented player, he’s not even playing badly but this is the situation that we are in. The narrative exists that he is lazy and wasteful and so that is what people choose to believe, and I find that really annoying.”
TIF Thoughts on Clark and Miller’s thoughts on Dele Alli’s current situation at Spurs…
Alli needs to find some way to force his way back into Jose Mourinho’s first-team plans at Spurs, or it would perhaps not be a surprise to see him depart the Lilywhites in the near future, with PSG amongst those who have registered an interest in the 24-year-old recently.
Do you hope Alli starts on Thursday?
Yes
No
You would argue that Spurs’ game against Ludogorets on Thursday represents a big opportunity for Alli to start and perform, so hopefully, he can do enough to prove to his Portuguese manager that he shouldn’t continue to be dropped for their Premier League fixtures.