4 ways that Mauricio Pochettino can turn around Tottenham Hotspur's slump

#4 Consider switching system to get the best out of Dele Alli

Pochettino should consider changing his system to accommodate the skills of Dele Alli better

Dele Alli has come under a lot of criticism recently; he only returned from a hamstring injury a month or so ago but hasn’t shown the form that made him one of Europe’s hottest properties a year or two back, and most recently he was even left out of the England squad.

It’s true that injuries have hampered Alli’s form, but another issue the 23-year old has faced is that the system Tottenham have been deploying in recent months doesn’t necessarily suit his style.

Since the rise in prominence of Son Heung-min, Tottenham have moved towards a system that makes heavy use of wide forwards – usually Son, Lucas Moura or Erik Lamela – playing alongside Harry Kane, rather than using Kane as a central striker. Add that alongside Spurs’ over-reliance on the creative abilities of Christian Eriksen, and it’s meant that Alli’s best position – playing just behind Kane as an ancillary striker – has seemingly vanished.

But with Eriksen completely out of form, and his potential replacement Giovani Lo Celso still settling into life at Tottenham, could Pochettino switch his system up to benefit Alli? A move towards a modified 4-5-1 formation – with a midfield of Alli alongside Harry Winks, Tanguy Ndombele, Son and possibly Lucas Moura – could work.

In that system, Winks and Ndombele would control the centre, with Son and Lucas playing wider and Alli being able to play off the lone striker in Kane, making late runs into the box and supporting his England teammate. That was largely the system Tottenham used in 2016/17 – when Alli was able to score 18 goals and make 7 assists.

If Pochettino can get the best out of Alli – and if it involves switching up his system, it could well be worth it – then he’ll have a potential world-class player on his hands, meaning Tottenham’s slump could be helped to turn around.