Gareth Southgate Discusses Dele Alli's Best Position as He Reveals Selection Dilemma

​England manager Gareth Southgate has admitted that Dele Alli's recent upturn in form is giving him a selection dilemma, while claiming that the 23-year-old should not be played in central midfield.

Alli has struggled for form this season, but since Jose Mourinho has taken charge of Tottenham he has netted three goals in three outings.

Southgate says he is pleased with the Spurs man's stellar performances and agrees with Mourinho that his best position is not in the centre of the midfield.

Dele Alli

As quoted by ​The Mirror, Southgate said: "Jose has played him as a number 10 and that’s his best position, having the freedom to run on into the box, that has been very clear for a long time,” said the 49-year-old. “So it’s great he’s back on the scoring trail.


“At the moment they are fighting to get into ​Tottenham's team and pleasing their manager there, so if the consequence of that is that they are in form for us then for sure that will be in the players’ minds but at this stage of the season they are thinking about their clubs."

However, the Three Lions' boss was wary of casting aspersions too quickly and knows all too well that there is a lot of football still to be played domestically this campaign.

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“We have brilliant competition for places in those attacking areas. We haven’t struggled for goals in qualifying, that’s not been a problem," he stated.

"The last time we had the players together they had played 12 matches, the next time we see them they will have 30 so a lot can happen in that period of time in terms of form and injury, and not a lot of it that we can control."


The draw for ​Euro 2020 has now taken place and England will face Croatia, Czech Republic and a team yet to be confirmed via the Nations League play-offs.


However, Southgate has dismissed talk of him seeking revenge for his semi-final penalty miss against Germany in 1996 - insisting he got that out of his sytem last summer.

Gareth Southgate

“It’s not a case of exorcising anything for me,” he said. “If anything the penalty shoot-out against Colombia was that moment.

“I am all about how we make this team as good as we can be, and be successful in the summer as a team and as a group," said Southgate. "All I know from ’96 is that it is going to be a brilliant atmosphere for those group matches and we have every incentive to progress as far as we can.”


Source : 90min