Mauricio Pochettino admitted Dele Alli was unhappy after being dropped for Tottenham’s victory Brighton, but assured reporters that it was a normal response.
“How did Mousa Dembele react? How did a player at Manchester United or Arsenal react, or Liverpool when they are on the bench? Come on,” said the Spurs boss after the game. (Quotes via Football.London.)
“Tottenham is a special one to create problems. Dele Alli was on the bench and then played 20 minutes. He’s such an important player for us. How would another player react when they’re on the bench? Sure they’re not happy.
“No one is happy, the young ones or the senior players. The more experienced, the most important with the massive salary and the people who have a smaller salary, that is football, or not? Yes or no?
“Sure he’s not happy, but like another player like Trippier, Davies and everyone on the bench. They all wanted to play.”
I wouldn’t be surprised if Alli was simply being rested ahead of Saturday’s trip to Manchester City.
Dropping players to the bench is a normal occurrence at every club and no player worth his salt likes it unless his name is Winston Bogarde the former Chelsea player who was paid a massive amount of money to warm the bench week in week out years ago.
Pochettino was right to bench Alli because he hasn’t been performing to the level he attained last season and only shows the occasional flash of brilliance now and again.
The press will totally ignore that players are occasionally benched and focus solely on the fact that it was Dele Alli and I for one won’t be surprised if they print in their pages that he is going to use his annoyance at being benched as an angle for a move away from the club. Moronic and boring.
Poch respond is spot on.There is no story here. Red banner tabloid”Shock and Horror as Tottenham rotate players for big game” headline is as moronic as the attempt to noise up Poch in the interview. I’m tired of the headline chasing media, they will be running alongside players in games next sticking microphones under their noses next.