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It was a good start to the preseason for José Mourinho’s Tottenham after two consecutive victories.
Leaving Ipswich aside with a comfortable 3-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last Saturday, the Lilywhites then scored four against Reading on Friday afternoon when they ran out 4-1 winners.
Taking the lead with an own goal from Omar Richards, more goals from Dele Alli, Son Heung-min and Erik Lamela sealed a routine victory for the Spurs.
While there have been many positives in the last two games as they prepare for a long and difficult season, Dele Alli’s form will be at the top of Mourinho’s list.
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“Just warming up” was the player message on social media after Friday’s victory and all Spurs fans are hoping that will be the case after a frustrating couple of seasons for the 24-year-old.
A vital part of Mauricio Pochettino’s squad after taking the Premier League by storm following his move from MK Dons in 2015, Alli has failed to meet his incredibly high standards over the past two years due to a series of nagging injuries.
Unfortunately, hamstring issues have taken its toll, and his latest setback saw him miss five of Tottenham’s last six games of the 2019/20 season.
The Lilywhites started seeing the real Alli immediately after Mourinho’s appointment and the hope is that he can replicate that form on the opening day of the season against Everton.
However, the problem for the attacking midfielder now is that he is no longer guaranteed a place in the starting XI.
It remains to be seen who will start at No. 10 if Mourinho advances to a 4-2-3-1 formation, as Giovani Lo Celso impressed there on a few occasions before the end of last season, while 4-3- 3 is another possibility given the large numbers available to the head coach.
The only way Alli can position himself with a chance to start against Everton on September 13 is by making sure to turn heads in the preseason.
That’s what he is doing right now and now he has another two games against Birmingham City and Watford to maintain his impressive form and perhaps reach another level.
(Image: Tottenham Hotspur FC / Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
Setting up two of Tottenham’s three goals against Ipswich last week, Alli featured in most of his team’s best plays in the first half in the win over Reading as he teamed up with Son, Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn.
He capped his performance with a fantastic goal when he pitched Rafael Cabral and his hit was reminiscent of Alli at his best in his first two years at N17.
The Spurs ace is doing everything right at the moment and his rich streak of form must continue for the next few weeks if he is to return to being a key component in the starting lineup.
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Last week it was revealed that on the upcoming Amazon Prime Video series All or Nothing, Mourinho called his player “lazy” during a training session, again at a team meeting and also in conversation with President Daniel Levy.
He’s been anything but “lazy” so far in the preseason and the ball is quite clearly in his court as he seeks to achieve the form that saw the soccer world take notice of him just a couple of years ago.
The 2020/21 season is huge for the player, but he is doing everything right at the moment as Tottenham look to rediscover the real Dele Alli.
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