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Dele Alli

Dele on... superstitions

“There are so many. I do all my right leg first, then all my left leg.

“I have an eight-minute ice-bath the night before. I don’t know why, it’s just a superstition.

“I always say a prayer, the same prayer, before.

“Now you might’ve noticed there’s tape on my knee. That’s a superstition as well. I don’t like taking it off.

“I took it off for the first game - this is a bit of a silly superstition - but the first game here was the first game in ages I haven’t had it on, and I got injured, so I’m going to be keeping it on again.”

Dele on... nutmegging Luka Modric in a pre-season friendly against Real Madrid at the start of his Spurs career

“He said something but I don’t know him personally.

“But all the guys who played with him at Tottenham said he was an unbelievable person as well and everyone can see how good he is as a player.

“I remember it. I always enjoy a good nutmeg.

“I didn’t shout Megs. I have never done that, even in training. Some people when they nutmeg (someone), they call it but never been something I’ve done.

“Nutmeg him again? Hopefully. I’m not going to focus on that, though!”

Dele on... his least favourite match for MK Dons

“Bradford away.

“It’s a beautiful place. But the stadium... it was a night game, the pitch was horrible. It was a horrible game.

“They had (James) Hanson up front, they were very aggressive and it wasn’t a nice day. Every time I got the ball people would be kicking, swearing.”

Dele on... odd feet

“They are still a size different, I have to get 10 on my right and 10 half on my left.”

Dele on... Welbeck refusing to give him his Manchester United shirt after Alli, then 18, starred in MK Dons’ 4-0 win over Louis van Gaal’s team

“Me and Danny have a joke about it because I asked him for his shirt (laughing).

“We speak about it now. He wouldn’t give it to me.

“I think he wanted to keep that shirt but he was polite about it. He wasn’t naughty, he was really nice.

“I’ve still got my shirt. I wasn’t going to give him mine... I just wanted his.”

Dele on... England’s self-belief

“We have some unbelievable players and a great manager and everyone is clear on what we want to do and when you have such a solid foundation, it's not a surprise that it's going well for us.

“We are in the semi-final now and, as a team, we think we should be in the final."
 
From the interviews I read, the social media posts and the stories I hear, Dele just seems like a genuinely lovely lad. Humble, friendly, honest, self aware, easy going - far from his dirtier side, when he applies the dark arts on the field. He just comes across as a very likeable character.

It should have course just be he has a great PR apparatus, and I will never really know for certain as I'll never know the guy, but still: I think he's a great kid.
 
At the highest level Dele lacks the ability and pace to go past the opposition in the final third. It seems very easy to shut him out, make him ineffective.

Should Poch seriously think about converting him into a central midfielder
 
DeleHarry said:
At the highest level Dele lacks the ability and pace to go past the opposition in the final third. It seems very easy to shut him out, make him ineffective.

Should Poch seriously think about converting him into a central midfielder
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Does well enough in the PL and CL which for my money is a higher standard of football - not to mention that he has been playing CM for England (where you seem to be saying he has been poor but at the same time want to see us play him there too) and carrying a knock since the opening game
 
DeleHarry said:
At the highest level Dele lacks the ability and pace to go past the opposition in the final third. It seems very easy to shut him out, make him ineffective.

Should Poch seriously think about converting him into a central midfielder
Click to expand...

He played CM for most of the WC (to accommodate Sterling and Lingard for some reason), and was far less effective there than he is at AM for us
 
For whatever reason we did not see the Dele we see at Tottenham week in week out. Looked like end of season weariness to me as much as anything else. Same goes for Kane.
 
LemonadeMoney said:
This isn't the highest level.
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Ive already ranted about this, but EXACTLY!

By definition it is impossible for Intl football to be a higher level than domestic. Madness to suggest otherwise.

Spurs - manager has 10 months of the year to condition players, train them, instil ethics and tactics. Gets to buy the best players he can afford from anywhere. Build a squad restricted only by money (and is at one of the richest clubs in the world).

England - manager has a week or two, every few months, to build a team/system out of a restricted pool of players.

Which is going to produce the higher level of football?
 
DeleHarry said:
At the highest level Dele lacks the ability and pace to go past the opposition in the final third. It seems very easy to shut him out, make him ineffective.

Should Poch seriously think about converting him into a central midfielder
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say lack of pace is a huge problem as it didn't stop players like Sheringham. Doesn't stop Kane either.

I do agree he needs to improve his overall play, improve on when to pass, when to bring out the fancy tricks and flicks and his passing in the final third.
 
PACE, PACE, PACE, PACE for Christ sake give it a break. It's just an other attribute, it's not the be all and end all. A quick brain is usually better than quick legs and its the pace you move the ball around along with movement which create danger for defences. Sterling has pace to burn but a poor first touch and no brain. He has the ability to be a great player lets just hope he does it with us.
 
Some valid points in here, Other than playing deeper and potentially having a minor injury I think Alli and others suffered by having players on a different wave length to them. Sterling and Young just have different instincts around when to play the first time pass or when to wait for the play to change. Like when Alli held onto the ball to look up and roll Lindgard in last night whereas Sterling for all his effort and getting into good areas just doesn’t have the decision making ability to be effective as a striker / number 10.
 
MKSpur said:
Some valid points in here, Other than playing deeper and potentially having a minor injury I think Alli and others suffered by having players on a different wave length to them. Sterling and Young just have different instincts around when to play the first time pass or when to wait for the play to change. Like when Alli held onto the ball to look up and roll Lindgard in last night whereas Sterling for all his effort and getting into good areas just doesn’t have the decision making ability to be effective as a striker / number 10.
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Yeah I agree

Both young and Sterling need a touch to make a pass which slows down their play
 
MKSpur said:
Some valid points in here, Other than playing deeper and potentially having a minor injury I think Alli and others suffered by having players on a different wave length to them. Sterling and Young just have different instincts around when to play the first time pass or when to wait for the play to change. Like when Alli held onto the ball to look up and roll Lindgard in last night whereas Sterling for all his effort and getting into good areas just doesn’t have the decision making ability to be effective as a striker / number 10.
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Sterling was standing in an offside position. Sums him up.
 
He should have played just in behind with Kane, as the lone striker. Blind Freddy could see that. He only managed to score one goal by ghosting in. Instead he ran out of petrol by trying to be the creative fulcrum and playing a defensive role.
 
Gutter Boy said:
I suppose you don't get much recognition if your job is to carry Henderson and Lingard
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He wont get any real recognition because most people wont see his job as that, rather him getting goals etc.

Judge him as an attacking player and youll be very disappointed.

Judge him as the man to make CM work around limited players, and I think he was outstanding. Played with real intelligence and worked his socks off.
 
nayimfromthehalfwayline said:
Ive already ranted about this, but EXACTLY!

By definition it is impossible for Intl football to be a higher level than domestic. Madness to suggest otherwise.

Spurs - manager has 10 months of the year to condition players, train them, instil ethics and tactics. Gets to buy the best players he can afford from anywhere. Build a squad restricted only by money (and is at one of the richest clubs in the world).

England - manager has a week or two, every few months, to build a team/system out of a restricted pool of players.

Which is going to produce the higher level of football?
Click to expand...
Also top clubs bring the world's best players together - Emirates Marketing Project, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern etc. In WC football they get dispersed all over the place and each manager has to make do with the best of whatever his country happens to have, eg Ronaldo/Portugal, Eriksen/Denmark, Salah/Egypt. And some of the world's best don't even make it to the tournament, eg Bale/Wales, Robben, Van Dijk/Holland, Chiellini/Italy, Aubameyang/Gabon, Dzeko/Bosnia.
 
Spur of the moment said:
Also top clubs bring the world's best players together - Emirates Marketing Project, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern etc. In WC football they get dispersed all over the place and each manager has to make do with the best of whatever his country happens to have, eg Ronaldo/Portugal, Eriksen/Denmark, Salah/Egypt. And some of the world's best don't even make it to the tournament, eg Bale/Wales, Robben, Van Dijk/Holland, Chiellini/Italy, Aubameyang/Gabon, Dzeko/Bosnia.
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Exactly. Setting a team up within the limitations of nationality means there is no even quality to the squad, usually means there is a big hole that needs accomodating and will dictate tactics etc.

We didnt have a proper CB pairing, or any real quality in CM, so had to go 352 to get the right numbers in the right places to accomodate those issues.

It makes Intl football interesting, but it doesnt make it a higher standard, quite the opposite.

Just as, one outstanding player generally means the team is set up to suit them - again more compromise.
 
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