Could there be friction at Tottenham?
In the past, Mauricio Pochettino has defended Dele Alli in public to the full limits of his ability. Whether it be in regards to a petulant decision or a foolish act of indiscretion, the Spurs gaffer always had his starlet’s back. That changed slightly after Tottenham’s 4-0 win at Huddersfield.
Instead, the Argentine gaffer was mildly critical of Dele after his second half yellow card. The talented midfielder made a clever run into the box but dove in an attempt to earn a penalty with the keeper in his immediate vicinity. The English international was correctly presented a yellow card for his efforts.
In the past, Pochettino would have waved away questions about the incident by claiming it was just a “naughty” or “aggressive” play by his attacker. His comments in the aftermath of this incident were different though. Instead, Pochettino told the press that his player “needs to learn” and that such actions don’t help him or his team.
In fairness, it’s not as if Pochettino came out and lambasted Dele in public. It was a very measured response from a very candid manager. My issue here isn’t what the Tottenham manager said. The point to consider is that it’s really the first time that Pochettino has taken Dele to task in public.
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Happy clappers will explain this away as a non-issue. I’m not convinced. This, combined with rumours about Dele’s attitude around the club lately start to paint a picture of a player who isn’t perfectly content with life at Tottenham. I don’t think he’s already shopping for homes in Barcelona or Real Madrid, but I do think he’s going to listen to inquiries from other clubs this summer.
If I can see that from this distance, certainly Pochettino sees the same thing. Dele’s lack of absolute commitment to the club may make some of his antics start to irk his manager like never before. It’s easy to defend a player who is 100% focused on the task at hand. It’s much more difficult to defend a player who is thinking about moving on.
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Hopefully, Pochettino’s words will make an impact on Dele and cause him to curb his diving on the pitch. The alternative theory is that this could be the first sign of a wedge forming between a manager and his most prodigious midfield talent.