Dele Alli: I'm really happy where I'm playing at Tottenham and 3-4-2-1 formation has given me more freedom
The England international has scored 20 goals in 47 appearances for club and country. Not bad for a player who turned 21 only last Tuesday.
Sixteen of those strikes have come for Spurs in the Premier League – an improvement of six compared to last season – scoring in six of his last seven appearances for the club. He has once again been nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award, the accolade he won last year.
This rich vein of form came at the perfect time for Mauricio Pochettino after star striker Harry Kane was ruled out for three matches with an ankle injury, with Alli and Heung-min Son providing much needed fire power.
But with Kane now back in the fold, Alli is more than happy to drop a little deeper.
"I'm definitely a midfielder," he told Sky Sports. "When I start playing up top where H [Harry Kane] plays I don't feel comfortable.
"I grew up watching Steven Gerrard a lot and he was a number eight so I'd like to play there but when competition is like it is you play anywhere the manager wants you to. And I can't complain, I'm really am happy where I'm playing.”
Tottenham operated for the majority of last season in a 4-2-3-1 formation, but have changed their approach to 3-4-2-1 during this campaign.
It’s a switch that has taken them second in the table, having lost only twice in the Premier League all season.
Dele Alli is benefitting from it.
"The formation we were playing with three at the back gave me a bit more freedom and the chance to get more goals. Sometimes I have to make runs to get in behind H [Kane] and give him a bit more room to get shots off and stuff like that."
