Dele is actually going to really going to struggle to get back into this team isn't he. In a 4-2-3-1 I think Son and Lucas have established themselves as the wingers. Then Lo Celso and Eriksen (if he stays) can fight it out for the AM position, Lamela somewhere in there as well. Huge challenge for him and we have fantastic depth.
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Poch would start Dele over Lucas even if Dele had his legs amputated.
In the past I think that is the case but starting to think that will change. Lucas can go missing at times and last season I could sort of understand why Poch was picking Dele over him even when Lucas was in better form. Now I think Lucas is proving himself too valuable, and today was a tipping point IMO. People can say 'what does Lucas have to do to start!' But keep in mind Eriksen was benched last week, with our depth now we are always going to have a couple of players missing out and with room to make an impact from the bench and that is a good thing.
Great write up by "our" Nathan
Nearly four years into his Tottenham career it’s very easy to forget Dele – who asks not to be referred to by the surname of his estranged parents – is still only 23 year of age.
Purchased by Tottenham as a teenager in early 2015, his transfer was intended to be that of a prospect. Initially loaned back out to MK Dons to complete his final season, he was then expected to be slowly introduced to first team experience at Spurs. One for later. However, having impressed through pre-season, and seemingly training too, he was straight into the starting eleven for an opening fixture against Manchester United and has been considered a must-pick player by both Pochettino and fans since.
English, expressive, flashy, naughty and quickly moving forward from a midfield role into a more advanced one – while still often carrying a midfield label – plaudits came pouring in from all angles. Dele was a near over-night megastar, immediately making his England debut and scoring. For a brief period of time, he perhaps shone brighter than even Harry Kane. Given this timeline to date it seems as if fan perception around Dele has never been lower than it is now. Last season was, by all reports, a quiet one for him and pre-season drew criticism – even boos. Now, just as Spurs are putting together a squad worthy of the club’s ambitions, Dele is missing out on the party with injury and disappearing from fans’ hypothetical line-ups.
He is certainly not new to criticism. His first two seasons would often see him largely uninvolved in games – even destructive towards Spurs’ efforts in possession. Regularly, just as the calls came in from commentators and crowds alike for him to be subbed off, he would pop-up in the right place at the right time to score. Comparisons were made to Thomas Müller and Dele was labeled with the German’s self-described role; Raumdeuter, which translates to space-investigator. Brilliant off-the-ball movement remains his greatest attribute. The 2017/18 season did make for a developmental milestone. Dele, coming of age, was now consistently a positive contributor in possession and with 7.9 xG Assisted (at 0.23p90) he began to have a significant creative output. As his return on assists rose, his goals did decrease, but one made up for the other and all was well.
Then came 2018/19. With absolute linchpin Mousa Dembélé, aged, injured and then sold, 18/19 beame the season of the midfield crisis. The effects on Dele were twofold. Firstly, he was moved deeper into midfield a near dozen times; often mid-match. In this role, the one he played for The Dons, he not only made up the numbers but helped alleviate issues Tottenham were having defensively, in terms of physicality and in ball progression. However, he was no longer freely scoring goals and so his stock fell. Fans may well have recognised this excuse for him but for the fact that being quickly returned into a more attacking position, failed to return him to goal-scoring form.
Due to Tottenham’s midfield issues, even when Dele was freed of build-up play and defensive duties, he was still starved of the midfield platform and quality passes that had fueled him in the previous season and so he remained somewhat ineffectual as a goal-scorer. This is echoed in the attacking drop-off seen with both Kane and Eriksen too. Further, one of the ploys used to salve a lack of control in midfield was switching to a centrally congesting 4-3-1-2 (or Diamond) shape. This meant Dele, even when playing as the number 10, was still only the third most advanced player on the pitch, when in previous seasons, he was behind – and in fact often running in ahead of – only Kane. Add into all these mitigating circumstances two lengthy injury spells – Dele missed a total of 22 all-competition games in 18/19 – and for most fans, this was his poorest season.
Radars on both relevant templates capture some of that trend into a more supportive role. Fewer touches in the box alongside less of the activities that tend to go on in and around it – shots, assists, dribbles, drawing fouls. Meanwhile a greater focus on safety – higher pass %, fewer turnovers – while significantly increasing defensive work in both pressures and tackles to the point of putting him in the world elite for defensive forwards. But it’s hard to argue these radars don’t also suggest a regression in general quality too. Along with his touches inside the box falling, between seasons, from 8.9 to 7.7, Dele’s passes into the box also dropped from 2.1 to 1.7 but his ratio of passes that were forward remained consistent at 17%, so they were still happening somewhere. This is accounted for by his deep progressions rising a small but certainly not insignificant amount from 5.4 to 5.8.
A deeper look at where he’s making his carries of the ball and their length really underlines the change in roles – regardless of position. In 17/18 a moderate number of short quick carries through midfield – predominantly in the left channel. In the final third, a huge amount of, often productive, carries into the box and work in the wide areas. In 18/19, with a change in what the team is in need of, a big increase in both the number and length of carries from his own half – now much more spread across the midfield area.
Conversely The final third is much more sparse for activity. There’s a lot less in the width outside the box. Carries in this zone are shorter and there’s only a single deep carry leading to a key pass on the books for this season. Under inspection there’s a suggestion here that most of his final third work, in 18/19, is being done when arriving late into attacking areas, rather than working in a back-and-forth creative combination with others that can be seen in 17/18.
All this points to Dele molding his tools into a slightly, importantly, different role. This adaptability is of course a skill in of its own, but it also suggests a continued diversification of what he can offer his team due to the proximity and crossover between these roles. It remains not unfair to criticise, or at least be disappointed by, his attacking output for last season based on where expectations were for him. There’s no crazy swings of variance going on here either, Dele was pretty much matching goals and assists with his projected numbers in both sampled seasons. However, there are some very positive signs. Both in the development and diversification of his skillset last season and in the promise that comes with Tottenham’s investment in midfield, that allows Dele to return to a more attacking role, and do so in a more capable side.
There is suddenly competition for attacking and midfield places at Tottenham in ways there never have been during Dele’s time at the club, but, if he can get on to the pitch and marry ‘midfielding’ growth with his attacking legacy he stands to make yet another great leap forward just as he is being counted out.
Nearly four years into his Tottenham career it’s very easy to forget Dele – who asks not to be referred to by the surname of his estranged parents – is still only 23 year of age.
Purchased by Tottenham as a teenager in early 2015, his transfer was intended to be that of a prospect. Initially loaned back out to MK Dons to complete his final season, he was then expected to be slowly introduced to first team experience at Spurs. One for later. However, having impressed through pre-season, and seemingly training too, he was straight into the starting eleven for an opening fixture against Manchester United and has been considered a must-pick player by both Pochettino and fans since.
English, expressive, flashy, naughty and quickly moving forward from a midfield role into a more advanced one – while still often carrying a midfield label – plaudits came pouring in from all angles. Dele was a near over-night megastar, immediately making his England debut and scoring. For a brief period of time, he perhaps shone brighter than even Harry Kane. Given this timeline to date it seems as if fan perception around Dele has never been lower than it is now. Last season was, by all reports, a quiet one for him and pre-season drew criticism – even boos. Now, just as Spurs are putting together a squad worthy of the club’s ambitions, Dele is missing out on the party with injury and disappearing from fans’ hypothetical line-ups.
He is certainly not new to criticism. His first two seasons would often see him largely uninvolved in games – even destructive towards Spurs’ efforts in possession. Regularly, just as the calls came in from commentators and crowds alike for him to be subbed off, he would pop-up in the right place at the right time to score. Comparisons were made to Thomas Müller and Dele was labeled with the German’s self-described role; Raumdeuter, which translates to space-investigator. Brilliant off-the-ball movement remains his greatest attribute. The 2017/18 season did make for a developmental milestone. Dele, coming of age, was now consistently a positive contributor in possession and with 7.9 xG Assisted (at 0.23p90) he began to have a significant creative output. As his return on assists rose, his goals did decrease, but one made up for the other and all was well.
Then came 2018/19. With absolute linchpin Mousa Dembélé, aged, injured and then sold, 18/19 beame the season of the midfield crisis. The effects on Dele were twofold. Firstly, he was moved deeper into midfield a near dozen times; often mid-match. In this role, the one he played for The Dons, he not only made up the numbers but helped alleviate issues Tottenham were having defensively, in terms of physicality and in ball progression. However, he was no longer freely scoring goals and so his stock fell. Fans may well have recognised this excuse for him but for the fact that being quickly returned into a more attacking position, failed to return him to goal-scoring form.
Due to Tottenham’s midfield issues, even when Dele was freed of build-up play and defensive duties, he was still starved of the midfield platform and quality passes that had fueled him in the previous season and so he remained somewhat ineffectual as a goal-scorer. This is echoed in the attacking drop-off seen with both Kane and Eriksen too. Further, one of the ploys used to salve a lack of control in midfield was switching to a centrally congesting 4-3-1-2 (or Diamond) shape. This meant Dele, even when playing as the number 10, was still only the third most advanced player on the pitch, when in previous seasons, he was behind – and in fact often running in ahead of – only Kane. Add into all these mitigating circumstances two lengthy injury spells – Dele missed a total of 22 all-competition games in 18/19 – and for most fans, this was his poorest season.
Radars on both relevant templates capture some of that trend into a more supportive role. Fewer touches in the box alongside less of the activities that tend to go on in and around it – shots, assists, dribbles, drawing fouls. Meanwhile a greater focus on safety – higher pass %, fewer turnovers – while significantly increasing defensive work in both pressures and tackles to the point of putting him in the world elite for defensive forwards. But it’s hard to argue these radars don’t also suggest a regression in general quality too. Along with his touches inside the box falling, between seasons, from 8.9 to 7.7, Dele’s passes into the box also dropped from 2.1 to 1.7 but his ratio of passes that were forward remained consistent at 17%, so they were still happening somewhere. This is accounted for by his deep progressions rising a small but certainly not insignificant amount from 5.4 to 5.8.
A deeper look at where he’s making his carries of the ball and their length really underlines the change in roles – regardless of position. In 17/18 a moderate number of short quick carries through midfield – predominantly in the left channel. In the final third, a huge amount of, often productive, carries into the box and work in the wide areas. In 18/19, with a change in what the team is in need of, a big increase in both the number and length of carries from his own half – now much more spread across the midfield area.
Conversely The final third is much more sparse for activity. There’s a lot less in the width outside the box. Carries in this zone are shorter and there’s only a single deep carry leading to a key pass on the books for this season. Under inspection there’s a suggestion here that most of his final third work, in 18/19, is being done when arriving late into attacking areas, rather than working in a back-and-forth creative combination with others that can be seen in 17/18.
All this points to Dele molding his tools into a slightly, importantly, different role. This adaptability is of course a skill in of its own, but it also suggests a continued diversification of what he can offer his team due to the proximity and crossover between these roles. It remains not unfair to criticise, or at least be disappointed by, his attacking output for last season based on where expectations were for him. There’s no crazy swings of variance going on here either, Dele was pretty much matching goals and assists with his projected numbers in both sampled seasons. However, there are some very positive signs. Both in the development and diversification of his skillset last season and in the promise that comes with Tottenham’s investment in midfield, that allows Dele to return to a more attacking role, and do so in a more capable side.
There is suddenly competition for attacking and midfield places at Tottenham in ways there never have been during Dele’s time at the club, but, if he can get on to the pitch and marry ‘midfielding’ growth with his attacking legacy he stands to make yet another great leap forward just as he is being counted out.
Great write up by "our" Nathan
Nearly four years into his Tottenham career it’s very easy to forget Dele – who asks not to be referred to by the surname of his estranged parents – is still only 23 year of age.
Purchased by Tottenham as a teenager in early 2015, his transfer was intended to be that of a prospect. Initially loaned back out to MK Dons to complete his final season, he was then expected to be slowly introduced to first team experience at Spurs. One for later. However, having impressed through pre-season, and seemingly training too, he was straight into the starting eleven for an opening fixture against Manchester United and has been considered a must-pick player by both Pochettino and fans since.
English, expressive, flashy, naughty and quickly moving forward from a midfield role into a more advanced one – while still often carrying a midfield label – plaudits came pouring in from all angles. Dele was a near over-night megastar, immediately making his England debut and scoring. For a brief period of time, he perhaps shone brighter than even Harry Kane. Given this timeline to date it seems as if fan perception around Dele has never been lower than it is now. Last season was, by all reports, a quiet one for him and pre-season drew criticism – even boos. Now, just as Spurs are putting together a squad worthy of the club’s ambitions, Dele is missing out on the party with injury and disappearing from fans’ hypothetical line-ups.
He is certainly not new to criticism. His first two seasons would often see him largely uninvolved in games – even destructive towards Spurs’ efforts in possession. Regularly, just as the calls came in from commentators and crowds alike for him to be subbed off, he would pop-up in the right place at the right time to score. Comparisons were made to Thomas Müller and Dele was labeled with the German’s self-described role; Raumdeuter, which translates to space-investigator. Brilliant off-the-ball movement remains his greatest attribute. The 2017/18 season did make for a developmental milestone. Dele, coming of age, was now consistently a positive contributor in possession and with 7.9 xG Assisted (at 0.23p90) he began to have a significant creative output. As his return on assists rose, his goals did decrease, but one made up for the other and all was well.
Then came 2018/19. With absolute linchpin Mousa Dembélé, aged, injured and then sold, 18/19 beame the season of the midfield crisis. The effects on Dele were twofold. Firstly, he was moved deeper into midfield a near dozen times; often mid-match. In this role, the one he played for The Dons, he not only made up the numbers but helped alleviate issues Tottenham were having defensively, in terms of physicality and in ball progression. However, he was no longer freely scoring goals and so his stock fell. Fans may well have recognised this excuse for him but for the fact that being quickly returned into a more attacking position, failed to return him to goal-scoring form.
Due to Tottenham’s midfield issues, even when Dele was freed of build-up play and defensive duties, he was still starved of the midfield platform and quality passes that had fueled him in the previous season and so he remained somewhat ineffectual as a goal-scorer. This is echoed in the attacking drop-off seen with both Kane and Eriksen too. Further, one of the ploys used to salve a lack of control in midfield was switching to a centrally congesting 4-3-1-2 (or Diamond) shape. This meant Dele, even when playing as the number 10, was still only the third most advanced player on the pitch, when in previous seasons, he was behind – and in fact often running in ahead of – only Kane. Add into all these mitigating circumstances two lengthy injury spells – Dele missed a total of 22 all-competition games in 18/19 – and for most fans, this was his poorest season.
Radars on both relevant templates capture some of that trend into a more supportive role. Fewer touches in the box alongside less of the activities that tend to go on in and around it – shots, assists, dribbles, drawing fouls. Meanwhile a greater focus on safety – higher pass %, fewer turnovers – while significantly increasing defensive work in both pressures and tackles to the point of putting him in the world elite for defensive forwards. But it’s hard to argue these radars don’t also suggest a regression in general quality too. Along with his touches inside the box falling, between seasons, from 8.9 to 7.7, Dele’s passes into the box also dropped from 2.1 to 1.7 but his ratio of passes that were forward remained consistent at 17%, so they were still happening somewhere. This is accounted for by his deep progressions rising a small but certainly not insignificant amount from 5.4 to 5.8.
A deeper look at where he’s making his carries of the ball and their length really underlines the change in roles – regardless of position. In 17/18 a moderate number of short quick carries through midfield – predominantly in the left channel. In the final third, a huge amount of, often productive, carries into the box and work in the wide areas. In 18/19, with a change in what the team is in need of, a big increase in both the number and length of carries from his own half – now much more spread across the midfield area.
Conversely The final third is much more sparse for activity. There’s a lot less in the width outside the box. Carries in this zone are shorter and there’s only a single deep carry leading to a key pass on the books for this season. Under inspection there’s a suggestion here that most of his final third work, in 18/19, is being done when arriving late into attacking areas, rather than working in a back-and-forth creative combination with others that can be seen in 17/18.
All this points to Dele molding his tools into a slightly, importantly, different role. This adaptability is of course a skill in of its own, but it also suggests a continued diversification of what he can offer his team due to the proximity and crossover between these roles. It remains not unfair to criticise, or at least be disappointed by, his attacking output for last season based on where expectations were for him. There’s no crazy swings of variance going on here either, Dele was pretty much matching goals and assists with his projected numbers in both sampled seasons. However, there are some very positive signs. Both in the development and diversification of his skillset last season and in the promise that comes with Tottenham’s investment in midfield, that allows Dele to return to a more attacking role, and do so in a more capable side.
There is suddenly competition for attacking and midfield places at Tottenham in ways there never have been during Dele’s time at the club, but, if he can get on to the pitch and marry ‘midfielding’ growth with his attacking legacy he stands to make yet another great leap forward just as he is being counted out.
Nathan is great - there are quite a few writers who are Spurs that I really enjoy reading, and he is one of them.
Great write up by "our" Nathan
Nearly four years into his Tottenham career it’s very easy to forget Dele – who asks not to be referred to by the surname of his estranged parents – is still only 23 year of age.
Purchased by Tottenham as a teenager in early 2015, his transfer was intended to be that of a prospect. Initially loaned back out to MK Dons to complete his final season, he was then expected to be slowly introduced to first team experience at Spurs. One for later. However, having impressed through pre-season, and seemingly training too, he was straight into the starting eleven for an opening fixture against Manchester United and has been considered a must-pick player by both Pochettino and fans since.
English, expressive, flashy, naughty and quickly moving forward from a midfield role into a more advanced one – while still often carrying a midfield label – plaudits came pouring in from all angles. Dele was a near over-night megastar, immediately making his England debut and scoring. For a brief period of time, he perhaps shone brighter than even Harry Kane. Given this timeline to date it seems as if fan perception around Dele has never been lower than it is now. Last season was, by all reports, a quiet one for him and pre-season drew criticism – even boos. Now, just as Spurs are putting together a squad worthy of the club’s ambitions, Dele is missing out on the party with injury and disappearing from fans’ hypothetical line-ups.
He is certainly not new to criticism. His first two seasons would often see him largely uninvolved in games – even destructive towards Spurs’ efforts in possession. Regularly, just as the calls came in from commentators and crowds alike for him to be subbed off, he would pop-up in the right place at the right time to score. Comparisons were made to Thomas Müller and Dele was labeled with the German’s self-described role; Raumdeuter, which translates to space-investigator. Brilliant off-the-ball movement remains his greatest attribute. The 2017/18 season did make for a developmental milestone. Dele, coming of age, was now consistently a positive contributor in possession and with 7.9 xG Assisted (at 0.23p90) he began to have a significant creative output. As his return on assists rose, his goals did decrease, but one made up for the other and all was well.
Then came 2018/19. With absolute linchpin Mousa Dembélé, aged, injured and then sold, 18/19 beame the season of the midfield crisis. The effects on Dele were twofold. Firstly, he was moved deeper into midfield a near dozen times; often mid-match. In this role, the one he played for The Dons, he not only made up the numbers but helped alleviate issues Tottenham were having defensively, in terms of physicality and in ball progression. However, he was no longer freely scoring goals and so his stock fell. Fans may well have recognised this excuse for him but for the fact that being quickly returned into a more attacking position, failed to return him to goal-scoring form.
Due to Tottenham’s midfield issues, even when Dele was freed of build-up play and defensive duties, he was still starved of the midfield platform and quality passes that had fueled him in the previous season and so he remained somewhat ineffectual as a goal-scorer. This is echoed in the attacking drop-off seen with both Kane and Eriksen too. Further, one of the ploys used to salve a lack of control in midfield was switching to a centrally congesting 4-3-1-2 (or Diamond) shape. This meant Dele, even when playing as the number 10, was still only the third most advanced player on the pitch, when in previous seasons, he was behind – and in fact often running in ahead of – only Kane. Add into all these mitigating circumstances two lengthy injury spells – Dele missed a total of 22 all-competition games in 18/19 – and for most fans, this was his poorest season.
Radars on both relevant templates capture some of that trend into a more supportive role. Fewer touches in the box alongside less of the activities that tend to go on in and around it – shots, assists, dribbles, drawing fouls. Meanwhile a greater focus on safety – higher pass %, fewer turnovers – while significantly increasing defensive work in both pressures and tackles to the point of putting him in the world elite for defensive forwards. But it’s hard to argue these radars don’t also suggest a regression in general quality too. Along with his touches inside the box falling, between seasons, from 8.9 to 7.7, Dele’s passes into the box also dropped from 2.1 to 1.7 but his ratio of passes that were forward remained consistent at 17%, so they were still happening somewhere. This is accounted for by his deep progressions rising a small but certainly not insignificant amount from 5.4 to 5.8.
A deeper look at where he’s making his carries of the ball and their length really underlines the change in roles – regardless of position. In 17/18 a moderate number of short quick carries through midfield – predominantly in the left channel. In the final third, a huge amount of, often productive, carries into the box and work in the wide areas. In 18/19, with a change in what the team is in need of, a big increase in both the number and length of carries from his own half – now much more spread across the midfield area.
Conversely The final third is much more sparse for activity. There’s a lot less in the width outside the box. Carries in this zone are shorter and there’s only a single deep carry leading to a key pass on the books for this season. Under inspection there’s a suggestion here that most of his final third work, in 18/19, is being done when arriving late into attacking areas, rather than working in a back-and-forth creative combination with others that can be seen in 17/18.
All this points to Dele molding his tools into a slightly, importantly, different role. This adaptability is of course a skill in of its own, but it also suggests a continued diversification of what he can offer his team due to the proximity and crossover between these roles. It remains not unfair to criticise, or at least be disappointed by, his attacking output for last season based on where expectations were for him. There’s no crazy swings of variance going on here either, Dele was pretty much matching goals and assists with his projected numbers in both sampled seasons. However, there are some very positive signs. Both in the development and diversification of his skillset last season and in the promise that comes with Tottenham’s investment in midfield, that allows Dele to return to a more attacking role, and do so in a more capable side.
There is suddenly competition for attacking and midfield places at Tottenham in ways there never have been during Dele’s time at the club, but, if he can get on to the pitch and marry ‘midfielding’ growth with his attacking legacy he stands to make yet another great leap forward just as he is being counted out.
Now if he can just shake off this recurring hammy problem :avbpray:
2.5 years later, the world catches up with Sammy
I have a bit of an issue now with those comparisons.
You cannot just slam "goals by age X" or "assists by age Y" and ASSUME that the progression of careers are IDENTICAL. This is very-very-very bold assumption to make like this. Some are early bloomers (and might fade with years) some are late bloomers (who will learn and advance year on year). So saying that Lamps or Gerrard or whoever had such result by then does not guarantee that the younger lads have it the same way.
I am not saying that Dele should be written off or anything. I get it, last season was very different in more than one aspects. But I am still worried about his situation right now. As mentioned, he has been getting more and more injury prone. And when he is on the field there does not seem to be the same urgency with him. Even if he plays higher and is in a position to put in a killer-pass. Instead what I noticed in pre-season he tended to just run into 2 or 3 defenders and lose the posession there.
Of course I hope he will get over the injury problems as soon as possible and will get back to his best, making late runs to the box and fooling defenders with his trickery. But right now I would not be really sure when it happens nor will he certainly attack the records of Lampard-Gerrard.
The main point to take away is that Dele has already smashed Gerrard and Lampards records at age 23 and Dele has already had 4 years playing in a Top 4 side in which he has achieved his goals and assists records.
Nobody can forecast with any accuracy any players future.
But Lampard and Gerrards careers only took off at Deles current age and both were starting to show their age by a further 10 years from then.
So the certainty is that Dele has already achieved about 40% of what Lampard and Gerrard did ( 10 years at the top)
And that is one hell of a starting point.
And at age 23 Dele will have some good years ahead of him - just a question of how many and how good he is.
Oh and by the way in the last season or two Dele has been playing deeper to compensate for our poorer CMs so it's despite plauying deeper ( = fewer goals and assist opportunities) that he has trounced Lampard and Gerrard stats.
interesting how many people last year saw Dele's future in a deeper role, yet now so many are blaming his poor form on him having to play deeper.
I don't want to see him in a deep midfield role again, unless he absolutely has to. If he has any chance of regaining form he needs to be doing what he does best and that's the pressing and more instinctive/quick play in the final third. Some players just don't click when they have too much time and pitch ahead of them.
That said, he really has to work hard to get back in the team imo.
I don't want to see him in a deep midfield role again, unless he absolutely has to. If he has any chance of regaining form he needs to be doing what he does best and that's the pressing and more instinctive/quick play in the final third. Some players just don't click when they have too much time and pitch ahead of them.
That said, he really has to work hard to get back in the team imo.
People talking a lot of shite about a player who has given us some magic moments over the last few years.
A fit Dele played in his correct position walks back into that starting 11.
A fit Dele played in his correct position walks back into that starting 11.
Agreed but the competition for starting places at Spurs for AM's has gone up a notch or two this season, even by comparison with 2017/18 (2018/19 was easy - if you were fit good chance of playing due to number of injuries throughout the side).
Son, Moura, Lamela, Lo Celso, Sessegnon, Eriksen, Dele - strong competition, and Moura (arrived January hardly played in 2nd half of season) , Lo Celso and Sesssegnon were not really at Spurs in 2017/18 to compete for places.
Should mean most players get some rotation/rest and in turn allows them all to play when fully fit and rested !
Yes, yes, yes. Everyone who has at least working eye have seen that he has played deeper. Either in games or if not - here in this thread. Also if you read what I wrote, I said there is more than goals and assist that worry me - his general decision making seem to have suffered. And he does not seem to play with same energy than 2 years ago. I hope I am wrong about this but this is just how I feel about this topic. I cannot find a metric to prove it, just subjective observation.
I don't think people look at these stats and think of it as "a starting point" - rather they want to use this to extrapolate what is coming. While in fact this only shows the past and has little bearing what is to come. I mean Krkic was helluva player on age comparison basis when he was 17. Of course I am not comparing Dele to Krkic nor saying their careers have same path or whatever. This is just an example of the player who was extremely early bloomer.
Just focus on what he has achieved at age 23 by comparison with Lampard and Gerrard.
No comparison, he's so far ahead of both (both now regarded as close to world class players) at his current age.
Gerrard had helped his team win 5 trophies by 23/24 in a team that had biscan and smicer in it. I think trying to compare alli to gerrard at any time isn't right
A shift away from 4231 means less attacking MF roles too and puts more emphasis on attacking from deep.
For those that don't want to see Dele in a B2B/#8 role this means shoehorning him in as a wide forward or in a CAM role ideally suited to a more creative player depending on formation.
Personally I think he may not be as bad as some expect in a proper 433, but he's yet another player that doesn't really benefit from the diamond (I dont think putting him alongside Kane suits him either).
Yea, but my point is that his career wise it might not count for much. Counting achievements while 23 is like assesing marathon runner at 5km mark. Well, nice to be 1st but who cares if you cramp up at 10 km mark?
I've seen people in ManU forums pointing out Rashford "more goals scored by 20 than Kane" as well. But point does it have at the end of the day?
Fine, if you believe that Dele will not score or assist many goals from now on, that's your prerogative.
However at age 23 (Dele's current age) he's trounced Lampard and Gerrard's goal/assist record despite them both having played a fair number of PL games by that age - and in each of the seasons they did play neither Lampard nor Gerrard scored many (hence their totals were low).
At aged 20 Kane had scored more goals than Rashford, but in a combination of EFL and PL games. The difference is that Rashford had played a lot more PL games aged 20 than Kane and scored more goals.
However in Kane's first (almost) full season of playing PL football Kane overtook Rashford's total.
So your comparison is just misleading - if Kane wasn't playing PL games he couldn't be scoring PL goals. All 3 of Lampard Gerrard and Dele had played plenty of PL games by age 23 - but only Dele was scoring and assisting regularly
I was comparing individual players goal and assist making by age 23 - nothing to do with team achievements which is what you are diverting the conversation to.