I’m not going to spur Dele on... he either delivers or I’ll drop him
JOSE WON’T MOLLYCODDLE MOODY ALLI ANY MORE
DELE ALLI will be sent out against Shkendija tonight having been told by Jose Mourinho he must prove he is good enough to play in his Tottenham team.
The Spurs manager is fed up of being questioned about the precocious talent who lit up the Premier League a couple of seasons ago but seems to have faded.
Mourinho goaded his erratic star when he first arrived by accusing him of playing like his fictitious brother rather than the real Alli.
Then he attempted a meaningful heart- to- heart which was captured on Amazon Prime Video.
But Alli was replaced at half- time against Everton on the opening day of the season and left out of the next two squads.
Now he has been told in no uncertain terms it is up to him to make the most of his chance in tonight’s Europa League third qualifying round tie in Macedonia.
Mourinho said: “There is a tendency now when a player performs or doesn’t perform to give responsibilities to coaches – some because they give him the right love, some because they give him the right stick.
“I always feel that 99 per cent of the responsibility is down to the player. I have one per cent – me and my staff and the people that work with the players every day.
“We all know that since Dele arrived from MK Dons he had ups and downs.
“He had fabulous periods and also other periods when he disappeared from the top level of
TOUGH LOVE
Alli trains with Spurs yesterday as he prepares to make his mark in Macedonia
performances. With me, it was not different than before. He had moments where he was so good and he also had moments when he was not so good.
“When you are not in a good moment, you don’t play and it is as simple as that. Players have to prove on the pitch with their performance, prove how good they are in that specific moment.
“Tomorrow he is selected. No decision yet about starting or being on the bench, but when he is selected he has chances to play.
“If he is on the pitch one minute or 90 minutes he has to show us, it’s that simple.”
Alli’s position has come under even more scrutiny with Gareth Bale’s arrival sparking speculation that he could be on his way out of the club.
But when Mourinho was asked outright if he expected the 24- year- old to still be at the club next month, he simply said: “Yeah.”
He added: “I always said that Dele will have his opportunities, that there’s no problem at all to have him and, like every other player, performances are very important.”