MAURICIO POCHETTINO SAYS Dele Alli’s tendency to go to ground too easily “doesn’t help him, doesn’t help the team and doesn’t help football.”
Tottenham cruised to a 4-0 win over Huddersfield Town thanks in part to a double from Harry Kane, who took his tally for September to 13, while Ben Davies and Moussa Sissoko were also on target.
Alli hit the post in the first half but the second saw him receive a yellow card for simulation after going down under minimal contact from Huddersfield goalkeeper Jonas Lossl.
Pochettino claims he did not see the incident in question but, in the week Alli was banned for one international match for an offensive gesture during England’s World Cup qualifer with Slovakia, Pochettino has called on him to change his ways.
“I didn’t see. It’s so difficult for me from my position. But if it was like this he needs to learn. He must learn,” Pochettino told a media conference.
“This type of action doesn’t help him, doesn’t help the team and doesn’t help football.
“We are talking in the last few years about fair play. I think he is improving a lot and learning but still he must learn.”
Huddersfield boss David Wagner said of his side’s showing: “They have top quality in the final third and deserved to win, but we made it too easy for them to score.
“Maybe the scoreline was a bit high given the effort of my players, but it is a deserved result.
“We had our moments in attack, but we made easy mistakes in our final third against a real top quality team. We wanted to be brave, attack them and have our moments. That meant defending one-on-one and we made individual mistakes.
“Honestly, we were not good enough today against a high-quality team. When that is the case, this result can happen.”
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In fairness, it was pretty blatant. I get that things aren’t easy for him right now, he’s definitely in a hump but there’s no need for that in our squad. Poch comes across as a gentleman but will give him a right telling off behind closed doors.
@AM: Or maybe not, by his own admission he said before hat he used to practice diving in training when playing in Argentina
@El Johno: Hmm true about Poch but it’s not what fans or those who follow the games want to see. Allowances need to be made for Dele because he is still very young. He’s definitely in bad humour recently, maybe off field issues?
@AM: I’m sorry but for years all up and coming english players have been treated with kid gloves by their managers (english gutter press excluded) hence the reason not one of them having the mentality to truely reach the level of being classed as a world star.
In fairness Harry Kane seems to be the one exception to the rule, level headed, focused and seems an all round good guy would does not seek or want attention. I reckon he will be coveted by Barca and Real shortly……..
@Hotshot Hamish: he’s the only player I don’t worry about leaving, weirdly enough.
Refreshing to see a manager actually criticising one of their own players, too many times in the premier league the so called top managers use the soft line, “i did not see it”
Kane has gone to the next level while Alli is believing all last years publicity and his game has stalled.
@Hotshot Hamish: Poch reportedly told Serge Aurier that he would head butt him if he carried on the way he did off field in PSG, the man is no shrinking violet.
Not the first time he’s cheated, deserves a ban. But motd will praise him tonight or gloss over it. Brits can do no wrong.
Not so sure….while Kane has improved in the last 12 months, Dele Ali has stalled maybe even taken a step back. Probably started to believe the hype around him….he needs to be careful
@Malachy Rivers: He was slated on MOTD and rightly im a spurs fan and there no room for that sort of carry on, your brits argument is just rubbish.
Alli’s last top-class performance for Spurs was in early January vs Chelsea. A few good goals and eye catching moves since but overall inconsistent. Eriksen and Kane far more important
That’s brilliant to see, poch isn’t playing games. Alli needs a good run soon, Coys