The Rise Of Dele Alli Who Has A New Role Under Nuno Espirito In Colchester Vs Tottenham

Dele Alli (right) celebrating a goal with Son Heung-min (Twitter @SoursOfficial)

JAKARTA - Tottenham beat Colchester 3-0 in their pre-season friendly last night. Dele Alli became one of the goalscorers after taking on a new role from new manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

There's no denying that it's been a tough 12 months for Dele Alli. Since playing a key role in Tottenham's run to the Champions League final under Mauricio Pochettino, his playing time has plummeted.

A good night's work in Colchester 💪#SpursPreSeason pic.twitter.com/ke3j2KDs3X

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 21, 2021

The England international was expected to thrive under Jose Mourinho but has instead found himself on the fringes of the Spurs squad. Fortunately for Alli, the North London team barely thrived without him.

Mourinho was sacked and, like his teammates, the playmaker will now begin his new adventure under coach Nuno.

After being absent from the England squad for Euro 2020, Alli capitalized on a quiet summer by becoming one of the first players to return to pre-season.

That meant, he had stolen the attention of several of his teammates who had yet to return. And Alli seems to have been given a special role in the new-look Nuno team.

Alli was on the scoresheet in their pre-season friendly at Colchester United and was given an attractive position in the side.

The playmaker featured to the left of the midfield three when Colchester had the ball, focusing on pressing and assisting Spurs defensively.

But when Spurs had the ball, he would quickly push forward beyond the base of midfield, filling the No.10 role behind the strikers in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Alli appeared agile in the first half by displaying several threats to the opponent's goal. Although he missed a golden opportunity, he made amends by converting Son Heung-min's cross from close range.

️⚽️ 👌 Some great build-up play from Paskotši and Sonny before @dele_official turns it over the line to make it 3-0! #SpursPreSeason

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 21, 2021

“I want to make this year one of the best I've had. A lot of people said I needed to find my form a few years ago," Alli said.

"For me, I don't even want to achieve that, I want to get past that and reach my full potential to be the best player I can be."

"These few years have been difficult, but I have worked hard and analyzed what I need to do to get better."

Will Alli find his best form under Nuno next season? We'll see when the Premier League rolls around next August.