Tottenham Hotspur star Dele Alli has endured his fair share of criticism over this past week.
Tottenham’s Eric Dier tackles Stoke City’s Marko Arnautovic
Spurs utility man Eric Dier spoke to reporters in the aftermath of his side’s impressive 4-0 win over Stoke City yesterday, and discussed how important it will be for Dele Alli to learn to accept the fact that he will be a constant target for the opposition, as quoted by the Evening Standard.
The 20-year-old midfielder has been sensational for Tottenham, since making his £5 million switch to the club in February 2015, but the one question mark that still hangs over his head is whether or not he has the temperament to become truly world class.
His sending off last week against Gent in the Europa League highlighted the nasty side of Alli’s game, and it is something that he will have to curb at the very least if he is to continue his progression.
And Dier spoke to the media about how Alli’s job is made harder by the fact that he is targeted on a regular basis by his opponents, highlighting the need for his fellow England international to learn how to deal with the attention he receives from the opposition, as quoted by the Evening Standard:
Tottenham’s Dele Alli
“He is very young and that won’t be the last mistake he makes. He will make more mistakes and the most important thing is he learns from them and reacts in the right way — and he does. He has to expect that [persistent fouling] from experienced players who have been around the block. They will irritate him and try to get in his head, but he knows that and he handles it very well. It’s normal he will get better at it over time.”
The former MK Dons man has been in exceptional form for Mauricio Pochettino’s side this term, scoring 12 goals in 25 Premier League outings – a quite remarkable return for a midfielder.
And let us not forget that is has not been long since he turned 20-years-old. He has plenty of time left in which to mature and become a better all-round player, certainly from a mental perspective.
And if he manages to do that, who would bet against him becoming one of the world’s best players.
Tottenham’s Dele Alli
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