With Harry Kane set to sit out again this weekend, Tottenham will be looking to their other attacking players for goals against Bournemouth as they hope to stretch their unbeaten Premier League run to nine games.
That record looked in serious doubt last weekend against West Brom, when old boy Nacer Chadli put the Baggies 1-0 up in the 82nd minute – but it fell to Dele Alli to rescue a point for the visitors.
The starlet is a player who can be inspiring and infuriating in equal measure, all in one game. Mauricio Pochettino has spoken of the midfielders need to put away more chances, but there is one big area of his game which has improved.
The 20-year-old sat out the final three games of last season after punching Claudio Yacob – incidentally, in another 1-1 draw with West Brom – and the punishment may well have had a huge impact on Spurs’ title chances.
Yet, Pochettino insists he has finally tamed the maverick, quoted by the Sun as saying:
“It is like when you have a wild horse and you need to put it in a box and domesticate it. No?
“He is a big talent but he was a bit wild. Now he is more domesticated. But you can never lose that wild side. That side is what makes him a special player.
“He can look cold but he is a very emotional person and I think we all love him.
“It is a process with the younger lads to be more mature, with more experience. Now he is more focused on playing football.”
It’s testament to the youngster’s progress that he has been booked just once this season, and it’s just as well, as with Tottenham’s injury woes of late, they simply can’t afford to lose him.
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