Chris Waddle: return to form of Dele Alli should see Tottenham prosper

Dele Alli is finally rediscovering the form that propelled him to top of the game

Tottenham look like a side who have been struggling to deal with expectations this season and no one has looked more troubled than Dele Alli.

Having reached the Champions League final in May, to go with a top-four finish, Spurs appeared to most observers to be a club who would kick on under a good manager.

But it just hasn’t happened and that’s because they aren’t stringing together good performances.

If you can follow a win with another win, confidence comes back but Spurs aren’t doing that.

Maybe Wednesday night’s 4-0 Champions League victory at Red Star will be the turning of a corner although we’ll learn a lot more about where they are mentally after the visit of Sheffield United.

The Blades' tails are up and there will be no freebies from Chris Wilder’s side, who will sit in, play on the counter and look to frustrate a Tottenham team who, unfortunately, are getting frustrated a bit too easily.

That certainly seems to be the case with Dele. You wonder if he was starting to believe his own publicity and thinking that he’d made it.

Here’s a lad who burst on to the scene when no one really knew who he was and, for a season or two, he was dynamite, making the team tick.

But repeating is the hardest thing to do. Where you were once a secret, opponents suddenly figure you out and that’s when the top players make the adjustments to their game which keep them one step ahead. I didn’t see that with Dele.

I know he suffered a few injuries but I can see signs of him returning to form and what’s good for Dele is good for Tottenham.

Let’s hope he’s injury-free as he seems to be making a big effort, off the pitch as well as on it, to get himself in good shape so fair play to him for that.

He is there basically to score goals and create chances. He’s got to get back to doing that or he’s not worth his place in the side and finally the penny’s dropped that he seems to appreciate that he has to do more.

His goal against Everton last weekend was a good finish and will have given him a lift. He played again on Wednesday night in Belgrade so he’ll be sharper and fitter.

Now he has to focus on what he does best, getting round the park, taking up great positions, and scoring goals. Then we can start talking about Dele Alli again – this time for all the right reasons.

Unai Emery has been the architect of his own problems at Arsenal

Unai Emery looks to be on borrowed time at Arsenal and he’s only got himself to blame.

Going forward there aren’t many better teams around at the moment but defensively the Gunners are a disaster waiting to happen. And how he didn’t see that in the summer I’ll never know.

I’d give Emery the January transfer window so long as he has revealed a plan to the board and told them the two central defenders he needs to bring in as a minimum to strengthen at the back.

Whether he gets until then I’m not so sure because we’ve all heard the talk that defeat at Leicester could be the end for him.

I reckon they will lose and Emery will have no one to blame but himself if he does get the bullet.

For example, he signed David Luiz in the summer but he’s no more than an okay defender – he’s certainly not the solution. Looking at Sokratis, Shkodran Mustafi and Rob Holding, you just think they’re not bad, nothing more. The keeper Bernd Leno’s okay but he’s not world-class either.

I just don’t understand how Emery didn’t see that he needed to have a complete overhaul of the side defensively.

As it stands I can see Arsenal finishing as low as seventh with 80 goals scored and 75 conceded and that doesn’t represent anything like the kind of progress their fans were demanding after Arsene Wenger left.

James Maddison is the ideal number ten for Gareth Southgate's England glory bid

James Maddison didn’t do himself any favours by being spotted in a casino when England played the Czechs last month but Gareth Southgate has to stick with a player who can take us to the next level.

And by the next level I mean winning tournaments like next year’s European Championships.

Look at this England team and it’s in a good place. Defensively we’re sound, the midfield is well organised, and there are goals from the likes of Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane.

For years England were crying out for a classic number ten, a player who can create on the ball, who can spot a pass, find spaces, score goals, and excite fans.

Now we’ve got a few if you think of players such as Dele Alli, Jadon Sancho and Mason Mount while Gareth also seems to be very loyal to Ross Barkley.

But it’s Maddison who fans want to see in the side and given a decent run over a few games at that.

He’s a character and he’s a game changer. Other countries have had players over the years who, when they got on the ball, you thought ‘wow, something is going to happen here’.

Now we’ve got a few of those and especially Maddison, who is one of those creative players people around the world will be raving about.

Big Anfield showdown may not be a free-flowing exhibition

Considering all the attacking stars on display at Anfield on Sunday and the mindsets of Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, you would think goals would be a certainty.

But I don’t see that as a foregone conclusion and wouldn’t be at all surprised if the game ends in a low-scoring draw – 1-1 or maybe even 0-0.

I think City will be the slightly more cautious of the two teams given the problems they have at the back. They will look to dominate possession and keep their shape for fear of being exposed by the pace Liverpool boast.

And the Reds will have to be wary of the threat City have on the counter should they commit too high up the pitch.

I still think it will be a great game between two great sides, but not necessarily a high-scorer.

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