Dele Alli has said Mauricio Pochettino’s tactical instructions were the key to Tottenham’s convincing 3-1 victory over Chelsea on Saturday night.
Spurs moved up to third in the Premier League with a dominant display in the London derby. Alli opened the scoring with a fine header before goals from Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son sealed the points.
Kane, Son, Alli and Christian Eriksen formed an irresistible quartet that proved impossible to deal with, and Moussa Sissoko worked incredibly hard in midfield to prevent Chelsea from getting a foothold.
The front four’s movement and interchangeability appeared to be the key to victory, and Alli believes the team’s approach on the night was indicative of Pochettino’s tactical nous.
“I think working with Poch you know how good he is. He’s an amazing manager tactically,” Alli said after the game (via Football365).
“A lot of it was the work we did tactically: on the front foot, pushing up high.
“He’s managing the squad well, rotating when he needs to, picking the players that he feels are best on that day. That’s important for the team, to have players that are fresh and ready to go.
“Everyone knows their roles and responsibilities. He makes it very clear what you have to do.
“So going into the game, you know your role and what you have to do. You don’t have to worry about anything else, your football is natural, it’s what you’ve been doing for a long time.
“So as long as we’re clear on our roles and responsibilities, we can enjoy playing.”
It was an impressive start to a hugely important week for Tottenham, who must beat Inter Milan on Wednesday night to keep their hopes to reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League alive.
After that, it’s a trip to Arsenal for the first north London derby of the season.
