Dele Alli started his first game of the season for Tottenham Hotspur as they recorded a draw in Greece against Olympiakos.
Mauricio Pochettino has stated that Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli is aware that he ‘can improve’ after he endured a ‘difficult’ night in Greece.
Spurs recorded a 2-2 draw against Olympiakos in the Champions League on Wednesday night, with the away team letting a two-goal lead slip.
Alli was named in the starting XI for the European clash, with the 23-year-old making his first start of the campaign after he was on the sidelines because of an injury at the start of the season.
After the game, Pochettino admitted that the performance of his whole team ‘wasn’t great’ as he also shared his thoughts on Alli’s performance.
“He was injured and he needs to be back,” said Pochettino, as quoted by Football London. “Today was a difficult game and the collective performance wasn’t great. I was happy with his performance but we know he can improve.”
Before the game on Wednesday night, Alli had only made appearances off the bench, as his poor showing could be excused for the fact that he hasn’t played as much as his teammates.
A big season awaits Alli because there is the feeling that his performances during the previous campaign dipped.
On his day, Alli can cause problems to almost any defence in Europe, but he will be hoping he can rediscover the goalscoring form that won his plaudits a couple of seasons ago.
It’s not just an important season for Alli from a Spurs perspective, but for England as well. Alli will be expected to be on that plane for next summer’s European Championships.
However, Gareth Southgate has shown that not everyone is guaranteed a place in the England squad, with Manchester City defender Kyle Walker missing the most recent set of international fixtures.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
