Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has said that midfielder Dele Alli is under ‘massive’ pressure.
The 23-year-old has struggled to maintain the high standards he set for himself when he joined Spurs from MK Dons in 2015.
He has made only three Premier League appearances this season, and has one goal to his name. The England international has featured in three Champions League games as well.
Alli has come under criticism from football pundits this season with Roy Keane even saying he has lost the hunger for the game.
However, Alli has the full backing of his manager who feels the midfielder is under a lot of pressure as expectations are high from him.
The Argentine has admitted that Alli’s form has dropped a bit. He has urged the midfielder to not pay heed to such negative comments, rather he should start performing on a regular basis.
“We need to remember that Dele is so young and the demand and the pressure on him is massive. Everyone expects big things from him – he’s English, an international but he’s only 23 years old,” said Pochettino to Football London.
“He was fantastic, he’s dropped a little bit but we need to help and back him. He does not need to pay attention too much, he needs to be focussed, improve, try and be strong again and start to perform in the way everyone expects.”
Key player
Alli, who is on £100k-per-week wages at Spurs, is a fantastic young player, and the fans will hope that he gets back to his best form at the earliest.
He looked sharp during Tottenham’s 2-1 defeat against Liverpool in their last Premier League game, but he is still nowhere near the level everyone expects him to be at.
Tottenham will be looking to return to winning ways when they face Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
