Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has defended star midfielder Dele Alli who has been heavily criticised for his lack of form on the pitch.
Alli’s dip in form has coincided with a poor string of results for Spurs as they find themselves at seventh on the Premier League table, one point behind Sean Dyche’s Burnley. The England international has scored just one goal since August and failed to make an impact in the defeats against Manchester United, Arsenal and Leicester City.
“I’m so happy with him,” Pochettino said. “Your question is like ‘Oh, Dele Alli is not performing like in the last few years’, but his first few years were the last few seasons, he’s so young.
“He needs to find his balance. But I am happy with him. It’s normal we always expect from him, because he’s a very talented player, to score in every game and make unbelievable things. It’s normal sometimes the players are up and down.
“The experienced players struggle during [for] 10 months to keep their performance. With Dele, he’s young, it’s normal sometimes to be up and down. I am happy with him.”
Pochettino’s team will travel to Vicarage Road on Saturday to face eighth placed Watford.
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