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Dele Alli

thfcsteff said:
Has to be Levy.
Has to be...?
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You remember the doc? Jose/Levy conversation about Dele. Levy was clearly very fond of him.

I said it at the time and I think it’s playing out, the doc was a hatchet job on Dele - from the very first scene about the laziness (which I think is cobblers - he regularly covered the most ground in games when playing).

I think Jose has been gambling on a bit of transfer roulette - seeing Dele as someone he might not rate but that he could get 40m for and then spend on someone of his choice. It hasn’t panned out and now he needs to swallow some pride and get him back in the fold - he did it with Tanguy so can do it with Dele.
 
afsoc4life said:
So who would you play? Reguilon? Doherty? Who would you play in that role?
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Why not play a flat back four that the suits players available? As it was we played 2 players out of position - we've played a back four for the majority of the season so it's not like it would have been a hardship to switch
 
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thfcsteff said:
In fairness, Mourinho should get what he wants if Levy is (indeed) sticking by him. And if Mourinho is not prepared to bridge the gap, then he should've been moved on under those circumstances.

I love Dele. I want him here because for me, he has world class talent and presence. He has, sadly, let himself down IMO over the last 12 months especially, and it does clash with Mourinho's presence. Mourinho is -IMO- absolutely not the only one at fault in this, and Dele has not been doing his ultimate best to force another view from Mourinho...

But I also believe that a coach/manager has to make the very best of the squad they have. All of it. And if that means being flexible in the man management stakes, then that is what needs to happen. For the next few months at least, Mourinho needs to get Dele back onside and in the side, because he, Kane and Sonny are synergetic magicians. And given how much the manager relies on this in attacking positions, it is foolish not to re-engage with Dele, wipe the slate clean until the end of the season and go for it. One of them needs to be a MAN, and with Mourinho actually BEING a full adult male, plus the leader, it is on him!

If he does this, trust me, I will praise him from on high. Loudly.
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As you know, I’m firmly in the Dele should play camp. One of the biggest challenges for the modern manager seems to be that unwanted players need to be kept onside, as in many cases their enormous wages and size of modern squads seems to mean they hold a lot of power over the club by refusing any transfer even if it is at the expense of first team football. Especially if said transfer will require a pay cut or move to a less desirable area, country or club. Sometimes I wonder if unwanted players are given the odd game to help justify the clubs valuation of them, especially if they have more than a year left on their contracts.
I was thinking back to Poch’s time and after his initial cull there was a situation where Toby seemed to be on the bench for a long time, was never sure if this was footballing reasons or to try and force him to sign a new deal.
My thoughts on Dele’s value for the team have been shared a few times in this thread, but it is the managers perogative to pick who he thinks will do the best for the club and ultimately help keep him in a job. It may be a lack of understanding of his things have to work financially but I still don’t see a scenario where Jose openly wants rid, the player is understandably keen to move but the chairman thinks he should stay. Especially as it’s a loan so if the manager did not survive the season the player is retained. Plus, as you have alluded to there is substance to the theory that Dele is not delivering or behaving as he should outside of match day.
I have little optimism that Mourinho will be able to arrest the slide of the last two months but if the chairman is telling him what players he needs to be including then it feels to me that indicates a lack of confidence in the managers judgement, which would irritate the manager (especially one who has a reputation for petulantance) and undermine his credibility with the players.
I’d be very impressed if Mourinho reintegrates Dele into the team.
Loved “Synergetic Magicians” btw.
 
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billyiddo said:
Why not play a flat back four that the suits players available? As it was we played 2 players out of position - we've played a back four for the majority of the season so it's not like it would have been a hardship to switch
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Who would play at LB in the current situation?
 
Dele will make a comeback and the situation will be reminiscent of the Bale history. We need Dele to play, we have missed him, he’s one of our top goal scoring players. We shouldn’t bench players that can make the difference, he needs to work hard but his talent is undeniable.
 
afsoc4life said:
Who would play at LB in the current situation?
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The team/system should really be picking itself to a degree, and when one isn't available (like Reg) the replacement steps in. What you don't do is come up with a new formation with a RWB at LWB and playing Ndom in a 2 man midfield because you've decided you need 5 at the back. All that happens is the oppo come through the midfield like water and the back 5 are now exposed over and over.

Hugo

Aurier (minus fall out)
Toby
Dier
Davies

Sissoko
Hojb

Son
Ndom
Berg

Kane cover (Vinny or Bale)

What you then do is rotate players like for like.

Dele can come in for Ndom.
GLC can come in for either CM when fit.
Full back for full back. Rodon for CB etc.
Bale/Lamela/Moura to put pressure on the wide players for playing time.

We had one injury at LB and the whole system went to pot vs Liv and was compounded vs Brighton.

Football is a simple game - No need to make it over complicated.
 
Benny_Lad said:
The team/system should really be picking itself to a degree, and when one isn't available (like Reg) the replacement steps in. What you don't do is come up with a new formation with a RWB at LWB and playing Ndom in a 2 man midfield because you've decided you need 5 at the back. All that happens is the oppo come through the midfield like water and the back 5 are now exposed over and over.

Hugo

Aurier (minus fall out)
Toby
Dier
Davies

Sissoko
Hojb

Son
Ndom
Berg

Kane cover (Vinny or Bale)

What you then do is rotate players like for like.

Dele can come in for Ndom.
GLC can come in for either CM when fit.
Full back for full back. Rodon for CB etc.
Bale/Lamela/Moura to put pressure on the wide players for playing time.

We had one injury at LB and the whole system went to pot vs Liv and was compounded vs Brighton.

Football is a simple game - No need to make it over complicated.
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It can’t be simple otherwise the tactics wouldn’t be the issue would it?!?
 
Benny_Lad said:
The team/system should really be picking itself to a degree, and when one isn't available (like Reg) the replacement steps in. What you don't do is come up with a new formation with a RWB at LWB and playing Ndom in a 2 man midfield because you've decided you need 5 at the back. All that happens is the oppo come through the midfield like water and the back 5 are now exposed over and over.

Hugo

Aurier (minus fall out)
Toby
Dier
Davies

Sissoko
Hojb

Son
Ndom
Berg

Kane cover (Vinny or Bale)

What you then do is rotate players like for like.

Dele can come in for Ndom.
GLC can come in for either CM when fit.
Full back for full back. Rodon for CB etc.
Bale/Lamela/Moura to put pressure on the wide players for playing time.

We had one injury at LB and the whole system went to pot vs Liv and was compounded vs Brighton.

Football is a simple game - No need to make it over complicated.
Click to expand...

I think Tanguy can play in a 2 man CM, if its in the right formation.

What I mean is that if we play 4-2-3-1 with say Dele as the '10' then Dele would pick up their deepest lying CM when the opposition have the ball. Therefore PEH and TN probably only have 2 free CMs against them.

However if we're playing 3-5-2/5-3-2 then it doesnt work. Reason is that the '3' stay far up, like the other night, and the two wing-backs (if they're full-backs) are 10-15 yards deeper than the two CMs. Therefore those 2 CMs are very exposed

Either way, the current tactics and formation aren't getting the most out of our players at all and we have no system or structured way of playing
 
billyiddo said:
why do they need clear the air talks if the problem has been not training hard enough?
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I dont think anyone on this board or general public have any qualifications to answer this question.

Fair play to both Mourinho and Dele for not leaking detailed info to the press.
 
billyiddo said:
why do they need clear the air talks if the problem has been not training hard enough?
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That may or may not have been an underlying issue.

Recently it's been rather credibly reported that Alli wanted out on a loan at least and that Mourinho was happy enough to see him leave. I think having a conversation to clear the air now that the window is closed and he's here for the rest of the season makes sense. Regardless of underlying issues, but perhaps also a chance to clear up underlying issues if there have been or are any.
 
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