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Roy Keane and Graeme Souness criticise Dele Alli’s performance in defeat to Liverpool
Former midfield maestros Roy Keane and Graeme Souness delivered some stinging criticism to Dele Alli after his performance in Tottenham’s 2-1 loss against Liverpool at Anfield.
Speaking on , the no-nonsense pair agreed that the England international has let his standards slip having enjoyed success in 2015 and 2016.
Keane : “Dele Alli is an example to any footballers… he’s lost that hunger. It’s hard to get it back. From what I hear, he basically thought he was a player, thought he’d achieved something. Today, non-existent.”
Souness added: “I thought he was going to be a star. He’s the classic case of someone who got himself in his armchair. Unless you’ve got proper senior pros, you’ve got no chance. He has been allowed to take his eye off the ball and the senior players should have been on his case. He is a shadow of himself.”
TBR’s View – Keane’s insight into Alli is intriguing
Most casual observers can look at Alli’s career path – an exciting breakthrough before tailing off – and make an amateur diagnosis that he has taken his eye off the ball and lost that hunger.
Whether it’s the case or not is another matter and it is a rare moment of genuine insight into Keane beyond the ranting former hard-man if he does have information to back that up.
Alli does bear the hallmarks of a player who has let his standards slip but he is still young enough to improve and should be the central creative fulcrum of this Tottenham team now, at the expense of Christian Eriksen.