Bloody students, eh?
Dele Alli gets his fair share of stick from rival football fans. Few can deny that he is a wonderful footballer with huge potential, but he does have a habit of rubbing people up the wrong way. Whether it’s his combative playing style, or his penchant for perhaps going down quite easily, he manages to get under the skin of his foes.
Of course that only endears him even more to Spurs supporters. They love that he is such a divisive personality and revel in defending him at every opportunity. But according to his manager, enough is enough. Mauricio Pochettino has leapt to the defence of his star midfielder – by stressing his age, and the behaviour of other youngsters outside of football.
“I have full confidence in him and his talent and because I know him – he is a great kid and a very good person,” says Pochettino, according to Sky Sports. “But he is young. He is 21. If you compare with normal people on the street who are 21, they are still living at home with their parents, they are still at university doing stupid things.”
If the Argentine’s annoyance at ‘stupid’ students who live at home is a tad bizarre, it’s only because he holds Alli in such high regards.
“Younger players always have ups and downs. Expectation was massive because he was always increasing his level and improving and improving.
“This season the expectation was massive, maybe too high. For me, he is one of the most talented players in Europe.”
