Positional decline or player incompetence?

Dele Alli.

A thread:

Dele is one of Spurs' most opinion-splitting players. One section of the fanbase believes that in terms of output, he can be as good as Frank Lampard. And there's another section that feels that he is "past it." The fact of the matter is that BOTH takes are TRUE, to an extent.

When he burst into the scene in 2015, not many understood how we managed to acquire a player of such quality for just 5M. 2016/17 was the season that he announced himself to the world, scoring 18 goals and making 7 assists in the league. Sadly, the bar raised astronomically.

Tactical Role:

This is where things get messy. He is neither an ST nor a CM. He can neither play alone up top, nor deep at the centre. Dele has a SPECIFIC role, and he can't fit into anything else. He exploits space, makes runs off Kane, and finds himself in scoring positions.

While the world appreciates his ability to act as a "Raumdeuter" or a "space exploiter" he must be aware that the current footballing world has no place for that role. We saw how Muller's career at Bayern nearly came to an end because Kovac couldn't fit him in

But Muller adapted

The difference between Muller and Dele is that Muller's vision and range of passes make him a more well-rounded player than the latter. At Bayern, Muller is amongst the slowest players. That's covered by the work he puts on the pitch to not only score but set chances on a plate.

This is where Dele's problems get worse. His stats always show that he is the third-highest in terms of scoring goals for Tottenham over the past couple of years. Even if he manages to justify statistically, he miserably fails the eye test.

Observe him during games, you'd know.

Tracking back, pressing, making the extra effort for the team, you hardly see this from Dele.

Mourinho called him lazy so many times in the documentary, and rightly so. When you are a player with a role as specific as Dele's, you need to put the extra effort and communicate.

Dele always looks for extravagant flicks that are beautiful when they come off but don't always work. He is brilliant on his day, but as Mourinho himself said, "There are TOP players, and there are those who have MOMENTS."

At times, the lack of movement can be very frustrating.

The problem with Dele is that Lo Celso is hungrily grabbing every game by the scruff of its neck. Gio might lack in G+A, but his effort on the pitch compensates.

Look how Gio clawed his way into the starting 11
There isn't ONE person who says he doesn't deserve to be in the team

And so, with Mourinho clearly trying his best to shift permanently to a 4-3-3 from a 4-2-3-1, this ends Dele's permanent role in the team. He can't be a part of a three-man midfield. And he can't play as a lone striker. Even Poch realised that this could no longer continue.

Lastly, attitude. Dele has the potential. But what's the point of having bags of potential if you don't have the right attitude? An average player can conquer the world if he is willing to be a team player. A world-beater won't do anything if he thinks he's bigger than the team.

Is this the end for Dele? NO. He is a tough person, so I'm sure that he would get over being left out of the squad. But, he must realise that he needs to adapt to the needs of the team sooner rather than later.

If he can't budge and work, then PSG is the PERFECT team for him.

End of thread.

Likes and retweets are very much appreciated :)

Note: Thank you for the appreciation in the previous thread. Do let me know if you want me to keep making threads like this. I'd be glad to do that.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

I see a lot of fans saying "Dele isn't the worst player in the team, there are far worse players who should be sold before him"

You're talking about Lamela, Sissoko, and Lucas, right?

Answer this
Does the media make a fuss over those names sitting on the bench?

Lucas 100% shouldn't start every game, and soon, when Bale is back, he won't. Bergwijn will learn from Bale and Son.

What I like about Lucas is that he won't fuss over being benched.

Same with Lamela and Sissoko. Why isn't Jose asked about their futures when they're benched?