This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Dele Alli turned in a performance of the highest quality as Jose Mourinho got his Tottenham Hotspur reign off to the perfect start on Saturday.
On the chalkboard
Spurs have endured a turbulent week, sacking Mauricio Pochettino last Tuesday and appointing Mourinho less than 24 hours later.
However, they got back to winning ways at the weekend, beating the Hammers 3-2 in a topsy-turvy London derby.
And Alli played a key role in the victory.
Indeed, fresh from being told to play like himself and not like his brother, per The Guardian, Alli looked to be back to the player who so often terrorised opposition defences under Pochettino.
His contribution to the second goal was outrageous, somehow keeping the ball in play on the left flank while falling over, the playmaker found Son Heung-Min, who sprinted away and found Lucas Moura in the box for the Brazilian to tap in.
Alli was in exceptional form throughout the first hour of the game, as Spurs raced into a 3-0 lead, having two shots on goal, per WhoScored, recording two key passes, one dribble and four tackles, more than any other Spurs player on the pitch.
He also made one interception and took a successful corner in a complete performance.
A brilliant player
Alli has been drifting for too long.
He scored just five league goals last season but he has shown signs that he could be inching back to his very best here.
Of course, it is not just Mourinho that has brought that out of him, but the ex-Real Madrid boss talked up his abilities after the game.
He said, per Football.London: “I think Dele was like the team, brilliant for 60-65 minutes and then he paid also the price of the tiredness so he went a little bit down.
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“I think it was the old Dele Alli, the Dele Alli of a couple of years ago who impressed not just for England but all. He did everything I asked him to do.”
If he is given the consistency of playing in one position – he was consistently moved between the flank and the middle under his former manager – he could well reach the heights he has previously.
Ultimately, that is down to both Mourinho’s influence and his own motivation.