Tottenham star blasted by pundit, not just controversial challenge slammed

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It’s fair to say that Alan Shearer has been left less than impressed with Tottenham ace Dele Alli, as he has dedicated an almost entire column to criticising him.

The 21-year-old didn’t cover himself in glory at the weekend, as aside from going missing in his side’s 4-1 defeat at Man City, he was also at the centre of a controversial storm following a dangerous tackle on Kevin De Bruyne.

While he escaped with a yellow card, the BT Sport commentary team questioned whether or not he deserved a straight red at the time, and that’s a point revisited by Shearer.

However, it’s the dip in form from Alli that has him most concerned, as after a campaign in which he bagged 22 goals and provided 13 assists in 50 appearances in all competitions, the England international has managed just seven goals and six assists in 22 outings this year.

Further, he hasn’t scored a Premier League goal since October 22, while he has just two assists in that time as he has badly struggled for form, which will be a more general concern for Shearer with the World Cup coming up next summer as he will undoubtedly hope Alli can play a big role for England.

It’s important to note that Shearer himself admits he doesn’t know Alli so he’s merely giving his opinion on the matter, but from his perspective, he questions the way in which the youngster has dealt with the plaudits and exposure that he’s got since last season.

“Now I do not purport to know Dele well and, yes, he is only 21 years old,” he wrote for The Sun.

“But what I see is another young English player falling short of the hype. On Saturday at the Etihad, when he really needed to step up, he let his team down and should have been sent off.

“He completely lost his head and his already suspect temperament came to the fore again.”

Perhaps even more interesting was Shearer’s assessment on Tottenham as a whole, as he raised concerns he has for the club, who he believes may be heading in the wrong direction after two very impressive campaigns.

With their move away from White Hart Lane coupled with injury setbacks and players not replicating the form that they showed last season, there are real question marks hovering over them, not to mention the fact that they continue to struggle against their direct rivals away from home.

In turn, there is plenty for Mauricio Pochettino to think about moving forward, and while he has come in for criticism recently, Alli is going to be key to ensuring that they get back on track and stay there moving forward.

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