Dele Alli defends form for Tottenham and England and insists he is now a more complete midfielder

Alli said that while his attacking numbers are down, he has improved other sides of his game during the season

Dele Alli believes that he has become a more complete midfielder, after what at first glance appears to have been a disappointing season.

The England and Tottenham midfielder only scored five Premier League goals in the season just gone, all the way down from 18 in 2016-17 and nine in 2017-18. With his league assists down from 10 to three this year, he has been less effective on the pitch for Spurs, prompting questions about his fitness and consistency.

But Alli, speaking after the end of England’s Nations League campaign, insisted that this has been a “great season for learning”, and said that while his attacking numbers are down, he has improved other sides of his game during that time.

“It’s been a great season for learning for me,” Alli said. “It has been the first season when I’ve had muscle injuries, so that was difficult. But I’ve kept working hard. It’s been a bit stop-start, but overall I think it’s been another great season to learn from. I’m excited for next season now.”

Back when Alli was scoring 18 league goals in 2016-17, he was effectively playing as a second striker off Harry Kane, arriving in the box late. But now the form of Heung-Min Son means that Alli is usually playing further back, whether as a No 10 or back in midfield. He says that he is improving as a complete midfielder, rather than just as a penalty-box player.

“I haven’t scored as many goals or got as many assists,” Alli admitted. “But other parts of my game, and the other side of my game – defensively, in possession, not just getting on the end of things and finishing chances – I think I’ve improved on that. So next season, hopefully, it will all come together and I’ll get the goals, assists and keep the other parts of my game in the build up play.”

So despite that early success at Spurs as an auxiliary striker, Alli wants to be known for having more to his game than that.

“Obviously, I want to be involved in goals and assists, but that’s not the only thing. As a midfielder, you don’t just look at that, you look at all round game,” he said. “Overall in my career, my numbers have been good. I’m still young and I’m still improving, so, as a player, I don’t look too much at the stats. I’ve set my standards high in my first few seasons in the Premier League and some people think if I’m not scoring or assisting then I’m having a bad game, but that’s not always the case.”