In the past 12 months, Tottenham have proven themselves capable of challenging for the Premier League title, and the swift development of the north London club under Pochettino can neither be underestimated nor overlooked.
The Argentine boasts of not only the young squad in the top flight but arguably the best. Player-for-player, no team in England can match Tottenham’s best XI, and even some of their 2nd string team, that consists the likes of Sissoko, Son, Janssen who can walk straight into some top club’s starting lineup.
As a unit, Spurs have grown immensely and are very solid. One of their key players this season has been Dele Alli, and the youngster simply picked up the steam and momentum from where he stopped last season upon his White Hart Lane arrival from MK Dons.
The 20-year-old made the coveted PFA Team of the Year best XI at the end of a personal brilliant debut campaign in 2015-16, and any doubts about his quality have been cleared with his performance this term. At last, an English lad living up to the hype?
Judging on current form, it is safe to say Dele Alli is the best attacking midfielder in the Premier League right now, and the numbers attest to this fact.
Alli has evolved into one of the finest players in the top flight, and it’s not a surprise that he has attracted PSG, Real Madrid and Barcelona – a “feat” only a few English and Premier League-based players get to ever “achieve”.
His eyes for the goals this term has been astounding, and despite a slow start in front of goal, Alli has picked up a lot of steam of recent, firing on all cylinders and doing it with reckless abandon.
Dele Alli: Has played a direct hand in 10 goals in his last eight matches for Tottenham (nine goals, one assist) #TOTvWYC
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) January 28, 2017
In his last 8 games for Spurs, he has been directly responsible for 10 goals, with his 9 strikes and 1 assist largely contributing to the north Londoners brilliant run within that time frame. Alli’s fine form in the final third has seen them go undefeated and become more invincible.
In just 21 Premier League outings this term, Alli has scored 11 goals, surpassing the 10 he notched in 33 last term. No midfielder in England and across Europe’s top leagues boast of such goals within that period, and some strikers don’t even come close.
The reigning PFA Young Player of the Year has the same number of league goals as Aguero, and more than Benteke, Firmino and Giroud. Chelsea’s Hazard who plays in a similar position has 2 goals less, while Arsenal’s Ozil – a player many agree is the best in his position in the Premier League has just 4 goals and 3 assists.
Alli’s all-round proficiency and versatility are there for all to see. He has completed 80% of his attempted passes, created 29 chances, hit 57% shot accuracy, made 22 tackles, and completed 28 take-ons. Pochettino has played him in defensive, central and attacking midfield positions thus far and has even featured him on the left of the attack, an indicator of how valuable he has been at Spurs.
If Alli isn’t the best midfielder in the Premier League right now, who is?