Dele Alli shares what has left him having ‘sleepless nights’ at Tottenham, after 5-1 win

Fri 1 October 2021 8:15, UK

Tottenham ace Dele Alli has said he has been suffering from “sleepless nights” after being hooked at half-time against Arsenal on Sunday.

Dele, 25, started and captained Tottenham on Thursday night as Spurs eased past Slovenian side Mura in the Europa Conference League.

Inside the first few minutes, the £5million signing () won a penalty and then got up to dispatch the spot-kick. Gio Lo Celso made it two.

A wondergoal from Mura convinced Nuno to bring on the big guns, and Harry Kane came off the bench to net a quick-fire hat-trick.

A brilliant 5-1 win that sees Spurs remove some of the pressure after Sunday’s North London derby defeat to Arsenal, which they lost 3-1.

Speaking after the emphatic win, a “couple of sleepness nights”, after he was taken off at half-time on Sunday afternoon.

“We'll keep working and keep fighting.” 🗣

Dele's post-match thoughts…
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial)

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“We know how much it hurt the fans,” Dele told Tottenham’s Twitter. “But believe me, it [NLD] hurt the players just as much, if not more.

“For me personally, being subbed at half-time, couple of sleepness nights. But we have to keep working, and we have to believe in the process.”

Dele on NLD: Tottenham star’s passion will hit home with fans

The midfielder looked slightly emotional as he spoke about Sunday’s NLD. You could tell he was angry, hurt by the result and being taken off.

Dele worked tirelessly throughout the summer to improve his fitness. That has seen him become more of an important part of the Spurs side.

But he is still lacking the form in the final third that saw him become an England regular a few seasons back. He is, of course, playing deeper.

On Thursday, he was back to his normal role and he looked right at home – albeit against weaker opposition. Dele needs to play in the 10 role.

If anything, the NLD defeat and Thursday has taught Nuno to play with a 10 – and two holding midfielders. That could be the line-up against Villa.