Dele Alli vs Ruben Loftus-Cheek: Who is better?
Two youngsters in the English set up are finally getting their chances to show what they are capable of. While Ruben Loftus-Cheek is getting to play for Chelsea this season under Hiddink – he was supposed to star for the Blues under Mourinho – it is another English midfielder who has taken the league by storm.
Dele Alli certainly impressed many when he was on loan at MK Dons, no one could have predicted the impact he would have for a Spurs side which has only grown from strength to strength in the league campaign. Dele Alli has an experienced head on his shoulders, yet he is willing to take a few risks on the field and that is what makes his great for a Spurs team that is blazing under Pochettino.
While Dele Alli certainly has blossomed this season, Loftus-Cheek still has to perform for a greater number of games before we can actually come to a conclusion if he is anything close to the finished article that many Chelsea fans have spoken about.
The 19-year-old Chelsea midfielder though is getting more game time and has made seven appearances in all competitions for the Blues with one goal coming in the FA Cup. Dele Alli however, has five goals in his 25 appearances for Spurs and has become a mainstay in the team, despite being only 19 himself.
London calling but which youngster hits the spot?
Recently Tottenham extended the contract of Alli till 2021, a wise move considering how well he has performed and to ensure their investment in the player pays off if ever he does move to another club.
When it comes to passing, Dele Alli is ahead of Loftus-Cheek, thanks to Squawka.com, the Tottenham man provides 24 forward passes per 90 minutes compared to the 19 from Loftus-Cheek. Even in terms of completing successful passes, Dele Alli trumps Loftus-Cheek with 32 passes per 90 compared to 24 for the Chelsea man.
However, it is the Chelsea player who is more successful in finding the man with his passes thanks to a pass accuracy of 83% compared to Alli’s 77%. When it comes to key passes the duo are almost inseparable with 1.4 and 1.3 key passes per 90 minutes for Alli and Loftus-Cheek respectively. However, Alli creates more chances with 1.6 per 90 compared to the 1.3 for Loftus-Cheek.
Alli also takes more shots on goal but that is due to his more advanced position, he also has double the shots on goal with 2.4 compared to the Chelsea player’s 1.3 per 90 minutes. He also gets double the interceptions with 3 per 90 minutes compared to Loftus-Cheek’s 1.3; however the Chelsea man is better at beating his opponent with a take on percentage of 50% compared to Alli’s 26%.
Loftus-Cheek might be highly rated but there hasn’t been enough of him on the pitch to suggest that he could actually match Dele Alli. The Chelsea midfielder though still has time on his hand and this season becomes extremely crucial for the youngster, if he can break into the team or play regularly, we might just see the unearthing of another star.