Alli sees improvement despite numbers dip in injury-hit Tottenham campaign

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The Spurs and England midfielder believes he has enhanced certain areas of his game despite struggling to deliver in the final third of the field

Dele Alli believes he â€œimprovedâ€ during the 2018-19 campaign despite seeing fitness struggles impact his playing time and end product.

Back in 2016-17, the England international hit 22 goals across all competitions for Tottenham, with 18 of those efforts coming in the Premier League.

That figure dipped to nine last term, while providing 11 assists, and to five goals and three assists in the season just gone.

At 23 years of age there is still plenty of time in which to get back on an upward curve, but Alli has been in decline.

He concedes that the going has been tough at times, with hamstring and thigh problems doing him few favours, but is still trying to take as many positives as possible from his overall game.

â€œItâ€™s been a great season for learning for me,â€ Alli told reporters.

â€œItâ€™s been the first when Iâ€™ve had muscle injuries, so that was difficult, but Iâ€™ve kept working hard.

â€œI havenâ€™t scored as many goals or got as many assists but other parts of my game, defensively, in possession, not just getting on the end of things and finishing chances, I think Iâ€™ve improved on that. So next season, hopefully, it will all come together and Iâ€™ll get the goals, assists and keep the other parts of my game in the build-up play.â€

Alli will need to rediscover his spark if he is to remain integral to the plans of Mauricio Pochettino and Gareth Southgate with club and country, especially in a European Championship year.

â€œNobody can get too comfortable,â€ he said on the challenges he faces in order to add to his 37 England caps.

â€œWeâ€™ve got Ruben [Loftus-Cheek] and Cal [Hudson-Odoi] who have had some bad injuries but Iâ€™m sure they will come back stronger. They are great players. The squad, the starting 11 isnâ€™t secure, everyone wants to keep working hard and thatâ€™s important to keep pushing on as a team.

â€œEvery game you play you want to get into the starting 11 and into the team, but you know if you take your foot off the gas thereâ€™s players, even in the U21s who are doing well at the clubs, who are ready so you have to keep working hard.â€

Alliâ€™s last outing of 2018-19 came in a Nations League third-place play-off clash with Switzerland, in which he wore a protective cast on his hand.

Quizzed on that injury, he said: â€œ[Fabian] Delphâ€™s head broke my hand.

â€œThey said I could have had an operation when it first happened, but I would have had to miss a few weeks. Itâ€™s not fully healed yet, but this was the last game they said Iâ€™d need the cast. I wonâ€™t need the op, itâ€™s healing well.â€

He went on to say of his plans from this point: â€œI have a schedule from the club and itâ€™s important I keep ticking over.

â€œIâ€™ll put my feet up for a week or so, then back to work and make sure Iâ€™m ready for pre-season.â€

2019-06-11 18:00:02

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