Jose Mourinho sets stall out for Dele Alli to revive Tottenham career
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Jose Mourinho has told Dele Alli to prove he can be the new Special One.
The Tottenham boss said it is unfair that Alli’s absence has been so widely highlighted but also challenged him to sort himself out.
But Mourinho, the self-proclaimed Special One, has insisted Alli must be more consistent and reliable rather than go missing in games as he prepares to bring him back into the fold for tonight’s Europa League third qualifying round tie in Macedonia against Shkendija.
Mourinho said, with a touch of sarcasm: “My players must be special players and I must be at a special club – because every club has situations where players are not playing, are on the bench, are not selected.
“But it looks like only for us that every time some player doesn’t play, or is not selected, it’s like something that doesn’t happen at other places.
(Image: Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I)
“We all know that since Dele arrived from MK Dons he has had ups and downs, he had fabulous periods and also other periods where he disappeared from the top level of performances.
“With me it was not different than before. He had moments where he was so good and 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 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.”
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Mourinho must have a very selective memory because he has always attracted headlines for leaving out big names in his career like Andriy Shevchenko, Iker Cassilas and even Paul Pogba.
Alli is also one of Tottenham’s most talented players, he was arguably England’s biggest star at the 2018 World Cup and surely it is down to any manager to get the best out of him.
But clearly the questions and doubts are wearing thin with Mourinho, who even snapped at yet another reference to the Amazon fly-on-the-wall documentary All Or Nothing and one of the many scenes involving Alli.
“I’m tired of Amazon and I’m not tired of Dele because he’s a great kid,” said Mourinho. “But I’m tired of questions on Dele Alli.”
(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
What was perhaps more understandable was Mourinho’s frustration after another trying week as their Carabao Cup tie with Leyton Orient was eventually postponed amid shambolic scenes when the League Two club had a coronavirus outbreak.
They are still waiting to discover if it will be forfeited or a new date put in their already crowded fixture list which could see them play nine games in 22 days. Mourinho has won the League Cup four times and accused the organisers of a lack of respect.
How should Mourinho deal with Alli at Spurs? Have your say below.
(Image: PA)
He said: “My initial feeling was when people didn’t respect us why should we respect the competition.
“But in the end it’s a competition where I have a history. Tottenham has a history. It was the last trophy that Tottenham won and it’s a competition where we feel we have the same rights as everyone else to compete.
“In relation to testing and Covid and all of this situation, I don’t want to go into this world of contradictions.”
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