The Chalkboard: Alli out of his depth in glorious Spurs win
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Tottenham Hotspur squeezed past Manchester City and into the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday evening.
Spurs, having won 1-0 at home, progressed on away goals after a 4-3 loss at the Etihad Stadium on the night, but they may have concerns over the performance of Dele Alli.
On the chalkboard
A number of Spurs players played out of their skins on the evening but an enforced substitution by Mauricio Pochettino almost saw the club throw it away.
Moussa Sissoko sustained an injury in the first half, remarkably with the score at 3-2 to City.
Fernando Llorente was introduced in the Frenchman’s place, with Alli dropping into a deeper role.
With Llorente up front, Spurs’ attacking threat was limited, and although the Spaniard did score the goal that ultimately sent the club into the last four it was from a set piece, which doesn’t exactly display a fluid attacking system.
Alli, in particular, appeared out of his depth in midfield.
He touched the ball 54 times in total, per WhoScored, and barring a clever through ball in the build-up to Son Heung-Min’s first goal, he did not have any great impact on the game in midfield.
His pass completion rate of 77% was not particularly egregious but he was dispossessed three times, allowing City to reclaim the ball and keep it circulating, only increasing the pressure on the Spurs back four.
Alli did not have a shot on goal. Nor did he complete a dribble, though he attempted two. He was dribbled past twice and he both failed to win an aerial duel and make a tackle.
In a helter-skelter game, Alli simply could not keep up.
Out of position
Alli is not really to blame for his quiet performance. A hybrid midfielder and forward, the England international can unlock defences, score goals and win tackles.
At Spurs, he has scored 53 goals and laid on 46 assists in 176 appearances. That is a contribution to 99 goals – more than one every other game.
He is not, under any circumstances, a defensive midfielder.
That he was asked to play there is not an indictment on manager Mauricio Pochettino. Instead, it serves as an indictment on the club’s squad depth and their transfer strategy.
Alli, at the end of the day, is more a supporting striker than a deep-lying playmaker and he will hope to play there more regularly as the season progresses. Otherwise, there isn’t much point in him being on the pitch at all, as his display against City proved.