Dele Alli impressed as a substitute as England beat Slovakia 1-0.
England manager Sam Allardyce with Dele Alli
Pundits Jamie Redknapp and Alan Shearer have told the Daily Mail and The Sun respectively that they were impressed with Dele Alli’s cameo for England against Slovakia on Sunday.
England opened up their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign with a narrow 1-0 in Trnava, as Adam Lallana’s injury-time winner handed the Three Lions all three points against a resolute Slovakia side.
New manager Sam Allardyce will be pleased to have won his first game as England manager, but there are certainly some issues to deal with in the coming weeks and months.
England’s Dele Alli applauds fans after the game
The midfield three of Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson and Wayne Rooney were all too happy to sit on the halfway line, and whilst Dier’s job is to protect the back four, Henderson and Rooney didn’t offer enough going forward to support Harry Kane in attack.
England sparked into life when Dele Alli was brought on as a substitute, and whilst Martin Skrtel’s sending off certainly helped matters, Alli’s impact was clear.
Pundit Jamie Redknapp
The 20-year-old had a frustrating Euro 2016 as he failed to hit the heights from his first season at Tottenham, but he gave a timely reminder to new manager Allardyce that he’s still one of the country’s top young talents.
After the final whistle, ex-Spurs midfielder and current pundit Jamie Redknapp told the Daily Mail that he couldn’t understand why Alli wasn’t in the starting line-up, suggesting that he’s one of the best players England have produced in years, and the team could be built around him.
Former England international Alan Shearer echoed those sentiments, raving about Alli’s performance as he brought pace and creativity to the England attack, and claimed to The Sun that the Three Lions looked much better when Alli was introduced.
Alan Shearer
“Why on earth did Dele Alli not start? Jordan Henderson and Eric Dier are good, solid players but we need more guile in midfield,” said Redknapp. “Alli has real imagination, skill and the ability to unlock doors. He is one of the best players we have produced in a long time. We have to give Sam time to get it right. However, this is the chance for a new beginning and Alli is the sort of player we can build the team around,” he added.
“Dele really changed things and has staked a big claim to be the No. 10 for the next game,” said Shearer. “[He] injected some much-needed pace and creation into the side when he came off the bench. Jordan Henderson did not do enough and we looked a much better side when Alli came on for Eric Dier in a positive substitution,” he added.
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