Why do people hate Dele Alli?
Spurs had just finished 3rd in the Premier League, having given the hugely unfancied and unexpected champions Leicester City a real run for their money until this pearl of an Eden Hazard finish put paid to their title ambitions. Leading the charge was of course, talismanic top scorer Harry Kane. The Chingford native had followed up a spectacular breakthrough 2014–15 season with an even more exceptional 25 goal Second Act, impressively silencing the ‘one season wonder’ shouts still emanating from the ever shrinking peanut gallery.
Alongside Kane were the devastating Belgian defensive duo of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Aldeweireld, ably supported by England’s first choice marauding full back pair of Kyle Walker and Danny Rose. Moussa Dembelé was finally coming good on his enormous potential, delivering a series of gargantuan midfield displays, and the ever consistent Christian Eriksen provided his usual raft of assists to complement his impressive array of tricks, flicks and pinpoint set pieces. Young defender stroke midfielder Eric Dier emerged as a steady, reliable Premier League performer (in a way not to dissimilar to current West Ham stalwart Declan Rice) and reserves like Ben Davies and Ryan Mason meant this Spurs team had put paid to their historic Achilles heel of poor squad depth. Young manager Mauricio Pochettino, fresh from his impressive stint at Southampton, had clearly stamped his image on the club, which in many ways was still reeling from the sale of Welsh superstar Gareth Bale in 2013. The foundations were set for a revival of this sleeping giant, who promptly followed up this season with a second place finish in 2017, and a Champions League final in 2019.
There is one name that’s conspicuous in its absence. I am of course talking about the one and only Dele Alli, who was very much at the heart of this Lilywhite revolution. The Milton Keynes native, at the paltry age of 19 and with not even a Championship appearance to his name, announced himself to the football world with aplomb contributing 10 goals and 9 assists alongside a mix of impudence and physical dominance that made even Arsenal sympathisers such as myself stand up and take notice. Incredible goals like this one against Crystal Palace were commonplace, underlining his obvious potential as the outstanding talent in Europe. This was the one, we all thought, the one who could be the talisman for the England national team for the next 15 years, a prediction which looked a certainty once Alli announced himself on his full international debut at Wembley against France with this absolute screamer. Notwithstanding a disappointing European Championships in 2016 (in which poster boy Harry Kane also flattered to deceive), Alli followed up his debut season with a staggering 18 Premier League goals the following year, becoming very much ‘undroppable’ for club and country and delighting us all with goals, assists and his larger than life personality.
Let’s fast forward to now. Ostracised by the now sacked Jose Mourinho, a pariah in the National team, forgotten amidst Mason Mount, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Jesse Lingard and co. for that coveted attacking midfield role, it’s safe to say Alli has not had the career we all hoped and expected from him. A loss of form, coupled with niggling injuries have seen Alli come under fire from pundits and fans alike, who are understandably disappointed that one of the best shows in the Premier League has seemingly been taken off the air. At the time of writing, England are gearing up to face Italy in their biggest game since the 1966 World Cup final. 5 years ago, it would have been unthinkable that Alli would not be a centrepiece of a team that has cut swathe through the opposition through a combination of youth, excitement, and personality. Yet his is name now barely registers. What’s more troubling however, is that the drop in Alli’s performances has not been allowed to be just that. Instead, the general public’s opinion of him has taken a much more insidious tone. Apparently, Alli is not just no longer world-class, he’s 'trash’. He hasn’t just lost form (which I’m willing to wager most of us have at one point or another in our professions), he’s 'lost focus’. He’s not just having a bad season, he has a ‘bad attitude’.
Now, this is not the first time I’ve broached this topic.
I’ve always been firm in the belief that athletes don’t owe us their potential. They are multi-faceted human beings, of whom we are only exposed to a very small part of their lives. Whose to say there aren’t things going on in their private life contributing to their loss of form? I’m sure we’ve all been there, times where, to steal a common TV show theme tune, it “hasn’t been our day, our week or month, our even our year”. Yet our ability to show empathy suddenly vanishes when it comes to young footballers.
The Alli case has intrigued me beyond the usual examples however, because Alli actually got there. He was producing, he was legitimately world class. To top it off, His decline wasn’t sudden, it was gradual. And if we’re telling the truth, it wasn’t all together that sizeable — just this season, he’s put in some eye catching displays (including this phenomenal overhead kick in the Europa League), yet the average football fan will be adamant that he’s become a terrible football player, and I’m baffled as to why. Why do people hate Dele Alli?
This question has been on my mind for a while, but it was thrown sharply into relief when a story broke out about Dele Alli allegedly getting closer to Man City manager Pep Guardiola’s daughter. My first thought was that this was mildly interesting, but of little real consequence. I failed to see why the article felt the need to emphasise Alli’s reported “fall from grace”, and I certainly saw no reason to label him as a flop. It got me thinking of Alli the player, and the growing perception of being lazy, and interested in everything but getting better as a footballer.
This clip from Tottenham Hotspur’s “All or Nothing” documentary on Amazon is a perfect example. Whatever his training habits may be, I can only judge Alli on the performances he puts in, and they have never lacked in effort, or character. Alli is a hard worker on the pitch, where it matters, and his experience in the lower leagues is there for all to see in the way he grafts on a football pitch. He plays his heart out, and he has a number of seasons playing at the top level to show for it. When I watch him play, I don’t see a man who doesn’t care. I see a player who is in a difficult spot, and rather than receiving help or compassion, is vilified by all. Alli himself seems to have a good handle on things, judging by this clip where he discusses the criticism he has received by noted Sky Sports pundits Gary Neville and Roy Keane. He comes across as mature and level headed, wouldn’t you agree? So why are people obsessed to paint him out as having some sort of character flaw? It doesn’t make sense!
The fact of the matter is that we’ve all been through tough times. We also know that, as much as we don’t want to admit it, the answer isn’t always to ‘toughen up’ and ‘weather the criticism’. All it takes often is a couple of kind words and a helping hand for us to bounce back. I’m not for one second suggesting Alli has no responsibility here — if he were performing to his 19–20–21 year old self’s standards, this would all be a moot point. But surely our aim as fans, and for his managers and teammates, should be to see him back on top, and not to ridicule him for his drop in standards?
Be kind guys. Help each other out. Buck the trend, and don’t judge. You never know, one day the shoe may be on the other foot.
And I guarantee you’d rather have a support system out there, than a group of people who you’ve judged in the past, desperately waiting in the wings to get one back.
