Dele Alli



The greatest version of you can not be revealed unless you have a good self image.

Thus the best footballer within you can't be released unless your self image about every aspect of your game is good.

Equally, the greatest footballer in you can't be released unless you have the total commitment to release it.

That means having the mindset Gareth Bale had at Spurs.

His goal was to play for Real Madrid and that drove him on.

What is driving Dele Alli on, his social media image, his image among a party pack?

That was the trap Jessie Lingard fell into, he played just 931 minutes in the Premier League last season being more interested in his Instagram image than producing on a football field, his ego got in the way.

Raheem Sterling was more interested in showing a trick, wanted to do something flashy so his ego would get massaged he admitted.

Pep Guardiola taught him that it was his end product that mattered and he has since been more consistent and more prolific.

Somebody needs to tell Dele.

That's his issue, that's why he isn't performing like the Dele we used to see.

Mourinho has basically told him, he told him in All or Nothing while pretending not to know the reason for his poor form, but then laid out several suggestions which were the reason, Dele was more interested in partying.

He told Dele he had to figure it out, which he will only do if he wants to and that is the problem.

We let players decide whether they can be bothered to be the best they can be.

Clearly the goal setting that needs to be done by Dele, hasn't been done.

He has no goal to achieve and thus no motivation to drive himself to achieve it.

When you drive from the South Coast to Aberdeen you first check the route you are going to take, then set off along that route.

Where is Dele Alli's Aberdeen?

He is driving along a road and has no idea what his destination is, thus he isn't getting there, he is ambling aimlessly along.

Now Dele should have been talking to a sports psychologist and he'd be twice the player he is but why should he, he doesn't see that he has a mental problem so he doesn't see that it needs fixing.

This is the problem with footballers that Tottenham should take the lead an innovate the solution to a problem they don't see.

José Mourinho told Dele only he can sort his head out and Daniel Levy told Tanguy Ndombélé the same thing.

While that is right, it can and in my view, should be helped by a professional sports psychologist.

If a player goes onto the training ground as just another day of training, he isn't going to improve his game.

There is no reason for him to, there is nothing driving him.

They are millionaires, many of them want adulation, they don't want to be pushed, they are happy going through the motions in training and trying in a game but that just means you are trying to be the best of what you are, not what you could be.

Former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has said that he has been told from someone close to the camp that Dele Alli and José Mourinho had a bust up prior to the Everton game when Dele was not selected.

Steven Bergwijn was due to play.

It shouts loud and clear that Dele needs to talk to a sports psychologists to get his career back on track.

At the moment he is lost, no fault of his own, he is a mentality expert, he isn't a trained psychologist, he hasn't had psychology training.

Clearly none of our hierarchy have studied how to change a mentality, simply telling someone to change it doesn't work, simply telling someone they are doing something wrong or leading the wrong lifestyle isn't going to change anything.

You can't enjoy life as a party boy and expect to get to the top of your profession today, the two mentalities are incompatible.

His life needs a refocus.

He could continue to go on as he is, struggle for game time through lack of performance, which will damage his image in the eyes of his hangers on who would prefer him to party than play football anyway.

His career will stagnate and he'll run away to another club where he will expect to be an automatic selection because he is Dele Alli and unless they are a smaller club then the same thing will happen.

He is in danger of falling into a downward spiral until he decides football and getting to the top of the profession is more important.

For Gareth Bale everything has all been agreed, lawyers for all three parties have just been working on the paperwork for the last couple of days as negotiations were basically completed on Tuesday.

He needs a medical then he can sign and Real Madrid are reporting they believe he is sold.

My hope is that his arrival gives Dele a kick up the backside, a new level to aim at, a new attitude because his standing will fall with Bale here.

Fingers crossed.