José Mourinho accused Dele Alli of “creating trouble for his own team” in Tottenham's 3-1 Carabao Cup quarter-final victory over Stoke City. “A player in that position is a player who has to associate and generate, not create problems for his own team,” said Mourinho.
The English midfielder has had just five starts in 2020-21 and has been replaced twice at halftime: against Everton and, in the Europa League, against Royal Antwerp.
In September, Mourinho suggested that the 24-year-old needed to improve, and at the time said: “It is important that he perform.”
This Wednesday, the Spurs took a 1-0 lead thanks to a header from Gareth Bale, as Stoke tied after Alli's error before goals from Ben Davies and Harry Kane. Alli was substituted shortly after Stoke tied.
Speaking of the Stoke draw, Mourinho said: “In that situation, an objective counter would probably end with a goal, and it ended with a counter behind our defenses. We were unbalanced because, when you have possession, you have wide wings and another midfielder in between the lines, and they caught us on a counterattack and tied a game that was totally in our hands, so yes. I'm upset”.
On the other hand, Mourinho said that Bale suffered a calf injury so the Welsh forward did not appear early in the second half.