UNDROPPABLE
Sterling’s rise leaves Alli fearing for place
THE good news for Dele Alli is that he is still going to the World Cup. Gareth Southgate said as much as he reflected on 10 days which saw his England team show huge improvement.
‘Dele is a very important player,’ said the manager, dismissing talk that Alli may be axed from the squad after losing his place in the starting line-up against Holland and Italy. However, Alli played only 22 minutes in those two friendlies, raising questions over his role this summer.
Raheem Sterling’s emergence as a contender to be England’s No 10 in Russia accentuated those doubts. If Sterling was not a fixture in Southgate’s World Cup XI a week ago, he is now. Showing pace, power and poise, he dazzled as England’s middle man and was arguably their best player in both games.
But as Sterling’s stock has risen, so Alli’s has sunk. It was significant that Southgate felt the need to have a heart-to-heart with Alli after training on Monday. The England manager knows what he has in the Tottenham man — a scintillating combination of natural footballing ability and the edge of street fighter.
Alli is this generation’s Steven Gerrard, but Southgate wants more from him and told him as much on Monday. Alli’s ability is undoubted but his application and attitude are being queried.
Southgate has kept in contact with Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino as he tries to coax the best out of the player. He is especially keen to tap into the almost telepathic understanding Alli has with Harry Kane. But as it stands, Kane is the only one of the two Spurs stars guaranteed to start against Tunisia on June 18.
There are mitigating circumstances in Southgate’s Alli snub. Sportsmail can reveal Alli has been nursing a groin injury since the Champions League second-leg defeat by Juventus earlier this month.
The problem explains partly why Southgate used the 21-yearold so sparingly in the last two games. Nevertheless, if Alli needed a kick up the backside, Southgate has provided it.
‘I have a problem because I have Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Sterling, Kane, Jamie Vardy, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain — so there are huge choices I have to make,’ he said. ‘I can’t foresee a scenario where they don’t come to Russia with us, but I can only pick 11. That is one of the big things of being an England manager. You have decisions to make. ‘Dele is well in the frame. There’s no reason he can’t come to Russia and have a huge impact on the tournament. We’ve seen the ability he has.’ Sterling, meanwhile, goes from strength to strength. Vilified by fans at Euro 2016, he is now one of England’s beacons. Against Holland and Italy, we were treated to the new, improved Sterling. He has always been a threat with the ball at his feet. Now he has added a regular end product, with 20 goals this season. Sterling’s comfort in the England No 10 role that looked for all the world to be Alli’s should come as no surprise. He started his career at QPR in that position and wants to stay there as he enters his peak years. A transition to a central attacking role could well be discussed in the coming weeks as Manchester City look to open contract talks with Sterling. His performances have attracted admiring glances and Real Madrid are among the clubs monitoring how the situation develops.
As Southgate bade farewell to his players for the last time before the World Cup, the manager recalled Glenn Hoddle axing another attacking midfielder from his France 98 squad.
Paul Gascoigne flew into a rage when Hoddle informed him he would not be going to the World Cup, swearing and smashing a lamp. Southgate said: ‘I was there. I was one of the next ones in. My meeting didn’t take too long after that!’
History will not repeat itself with Alli this summer. Whether he can count on a place in the England team any more is another matter.