Glenn Hoddle has shared that he would ask Dele Alli ‘what his best asset is as a midfield player’, as the Tottenham legend told talkSPORT.
Life has been tough out on the football pitch for a number of years now for Alli, with three different managers now struggling to get the best out of him.
It all started towards the last 18 months of Mauricio Pochettino’s reign, filtered through to Jose Mourinho and didn’t stop during the ill-fated spell of Nuno Espirito Santo.
And now the attack-minded midfielder simply can’t afford to be in a situation where he continues to suffer under Antonio Conte.
In truth, if he does, then he will probably be out of the door and heading to a new club in January.
Hoddle shared his thoughts on Alli’s current situation in North London and what he would do.
“Well, I would ask him what his best asset is as a midfield player,” said Hoddle. “So, I would like him to give me the answer.
“If he didn’t, then I would like to explain to him what I think it is. I am pretty sure he would say ‘well, I am a goalscoring midfield player’. That’s what I would want him to say.
“That’s when he was at his very best. He would pick off where Harry Kane would make runs and he would get into areas inside the box.
“Dele Alli isn’t somebody who can play deeper for me and you can play through him. He has to keep the ball better. But his major asset for me is getting into the box.”
Cone is someone who likes to play a two-man midfield, which if he continues at Spurs, then it’s bad news for Alli.
He could possibly play on the left or the right of a front three, but that still wouldn’t be his game.
Unless Conte decides to stick an extra man in the middle of the park, with his three at the back formation, then Alli may find that his game time continues to head in the wrong direction.
Either way, this really is a make or break time for Alli now and it’s an opportunity he has to take for the best interests of his long-term career.
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