Tottenham’s latest tactical switch leaves Dele Alli without a position

Tottenham got back on track with a 2-1 win over Aston Villa on Sunday, but the match could be the beginning of the end for Dele Alli at Spurs. 

Nuno Espirito Santo’s decision to employ a 4-3-2-1 formation against Aston Villa won three crucial points for Spurs on Sunday. Unfortunately for Dele Alli, it also left the talented midfielder nailed to the Tottenham bench.

The former English international was a fixture for Nuno when he trotted Tottenham out in a 4-3-3 setup earlier this season. That formation failed to provide Spurs the proper platform to both defend their own goal and transition the ball forward to their star-studded attack. Tottenham’s ugly 3-1 defeat at Arsenal forced their manager to make big changes ahead of Sunday’s home fixture against Aston Villa.

To Spurs’ credit, they looked much more comfortable in the 4-2-3-1 setup that largely defined Mauricio Pochettion’s tenure at the North London club. Getting both Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp in the double-pivot did wonders to shield Tottenham’s back four against Villa’s 3-5-2 formation. The move also shifted Tanguy Ndombele forward to a No. 10 rule that should better utilize his attacking strengths while minimizing his defensive deficiencies.

Dele was a part of Spurs’ bench on the afternoon, but it was noticeable that he was not utilized by Nuno as a substitute. Ndombele was taken off relatively late in the second half in favor of Giovani Lo Celso. It’s clear the Argentine is set up to be Nuno’s alternative at the No. 10 position. That was one place Dele could have hoped to make an impact even if he wasn’t going to be a regular member of the starting XI.

The use of Bryan Gil as a late substitute for Lucas Moura on the wing showed that Nuno prefers the young Spaniard to Dele on the attacking perimeter. That position will get even more crowded when Steven Bergwijn returns from injury.

That only leaves the defensive midfield as an option for Dele to work his way into the Portuguese gaffer’s lineup. There’s room for a player to provide cover for Skipp and Hojbjerg there, but Dele lacks the defensive chops to thrive while playing in a double-pivot.

Add it all up and Dele is a player without a real role for Spurs at the moment. A key injury or tactical switch could change that reality for him in an instant, but his quick exit from the pitch after the Villa win seemed to indicate that he wasn’t overly pleased with his lack of match time in the victory. Time will tell if Dele can find another way to work his way back into Nuno’s good graces or if this is finally the beginning of his end at Spurs.