Tottenham Hotspur star Dele Alli has been criticised for not living up to high expectations.
Ex-Spurs star Danny Murphy offered high praise for Dele Alli, when writing his regular column for the Evening Standard, and compared the youngster to Chelsea legend Frank Lampard.
The 20-year-old has been a victim of his own success over this past year, with each and every performance coming under intense scrutiny because of the heights he reached with Tottenham last term.
Tottenham’s Dele Alli celebrates
And Murphy believes that the criticism that Alli has received is unfair, explaining how he feels his displays have actually been very strong this season, when writing his column for the Evening Standard:
“He is similar to Frank Lampard in the way he appreciates space and times his runs to ensure he finds great goalscoring positions. He is hard for midfielders to track, or for defenders to pick up when he is running towards them. The only thing that he has lacked compared to last year is accurate finishing but I have not seen him hide once. Even if he misses a couple of chances, he will continue to make the same runs until he takes one of them.”
Tottenham’s Dele Alli celebrates
The former MK Dons man has managed just four goals and an assist in 16 Premier League outings so far this season, and has a long way to go to match his tally of 10 goals and nine assists in 33 league games last term.
And, with Spurs currently sitting in fifth position in the Premier League table, and 13 points behind Chelsea with a game in hand, Mauricio Pochettino will need Alli to start reaching lasts season’s heights, if his side are to force themselves back into the title race.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
