da betcris： Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen can’t play together for Tottenham Hotspur.
da wazamba： The two are both key figures in north London and have played a combined 45 games this season.
However, one is constantly blunting the effectiveness of the other.
In the Premier League this season, Alli has scored six goals; four came after the appointment of Jose Mourinho as manager. Eriksen, by comparison, has scored twice.
The big fat Tottenham quiz of 2019 – how much do you remember about the last year at Spurs?
An interesting statistical quirk is to note that they have not scored in the same game this season, nor have they provided an assist in the same game.
In total, Alli and Eriksen have played together in 176 matches. In that time, Alli has scored 15 goals assisted by the Dane, and Eriksen has scored seven goals assisted by the Englishman.
The last time that happened, however, was in 2018/19, when Spurs beat Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0, Alli assisting Eriksen’s winner. In fact, it happened just four times in 18/19.
This could be easily explained by the fact they routinely tend to occupy the same space.
Eriksen is a traditional No.10, a player who looks to get on the ball and dissect the opposition’s defence with a clever pass. He demands the ball and usually ranks high in terms of touches taken throughout the 90 minutes; in his last two league starts, against Southampton and Norwich, he respectively took 86 and 120 touches.
Alli is more of a second striker but, to play that role, he has to start in the attacking midfield position, allowing him to burst forward from deep to meet crosses or go beyond the striker.
Two players cannot play in one position.
Of course, there are formations that allow for two attacking midfielders; a 3-4-2-1 could well suit Spurs when everyone is fit but it could also negate the threat of the likes of Son Heung-Min and Lucas Moura.
Thus, one has to feel that it is something of a non-starter; Spurs operate with advanced wingers and need them to supplement the threat of Harry Kane (when fit) at the tip of the spear.
Alli and Eriksen, then, provide Jose Mourinho with something of a headache, but the answer should be clear.
Only one of these players has a contract that expires at the end of the season; only one has shown any inclination to leave; only one has enjoyed any sort of consistent form this season.
Leaving Eriksen out, then, would allow Alli to play in his favoured position and would avoid the problem of shoehorning both into an XI that invariably leaves one of them in an unfavoured position.
Mourinho’s answer is a simple one: Drop Eriksen, keep Alli.
Meanwhile, Spurs have been urged to snap up a rival ace they originally wanted in 2013.