Dele Alli stole the show for Tottenham Hotspur as Jose Mourinho began his tenure with a win against West Ham.
The Spurs midfielder hasn’t been at his best in recent games but he seemed to have a spring in his step in the 3-2 win against the Hammers. Alli picked up a very good assist for Son Heung-min’s opener and was arguably the man of the match in Mourinho’s return to the Premier League.
The former Chelsea and Manchester United boss was visibly pleased when he took Alli off the 79th minute and the Englishman is sure to have a manager who will use him in his best position. The likes of Frank Lampard and Mesut Ozil have thrived in that number 10 role under Mourinho in the past and Alli could well follow their footsteps under his new manager.
Former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood was delighted with the 23-year old’s performance and said: He’s got all the attributes to be a top player for Jose Mourinho. He [Mourinho] doesn’t want a No 10 who’s going to play with his back to goal. He wants someone who’s going to burst without the ball and occupy centre-backs so Harry Kane can come off in a little bit of space. He did it perfectly. Onwards and upwards for Dele.”
Ex Liverpool and Manchester United star Michael Owen joined Sherwood to appreciate the England midfielder and claimed he was Tottenham’s star man.
“That was a huge performance,” he says. “He’s come in for real stick in recent weeks but that first-half performance, in particular, was brilliant. He was the star man for me,” he said.
At 23, Alli’s best years are ahead of him but it is his time to shine. Tottenham are stuck in 10th and are 20 points behind lead leaders Liverpool but with a new manager in place and with Alli firing, they should return to the top-six at the very least by the end of the season.
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