The manager of Tottenham Hotspur, Nuno Espirito Santo has admitted that some of his players who are not playing regularly for the club have not shown enough commitment.
The Portuguese tactician who will host Manchester United at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium later today, October 30, insisted that only committed players can get into his plans.
Nuno Espirito Santo is said to be a bit harsh on some players at Tottenham including the likes of Dele Alli and Harry Winks who used to be regulars at the club.
The two players did not even make the club’s 20-man squad that traveled to Turf Moor on Wednesday, October 27, to take on Burnley in an EFL Cup game. In their absence, Tottenham beat Burnley 0-1.
The case of Dele Alli has been the most peculiar among all the A-list players at the club that don’t play regularly. The out-of-favor England international used to be very consistent during the reign of coach Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham (2014 to 2019).
When Jose Mourinho became the coach of the club, Alli became one of the players that could not play regularly under the Portuguese coach. His form was blamed for the irregular game time.
He has been receiving the same treatment under coach Nuno. The coach feels Alli is one of the players who has not shown enough commitment to play regularly.
The last time Dele Alli played for Tottenham Hotspur in a Premier League game was on September 26, 2021. He played only 46 minutes in the game before he was substituted. The game ended 3-1 in favor of Arsenal.
“There is one thing that is the outside expectations that go around this kind of situations with players that you must ignore, you must judge in the right moment and be patient and then take care of the situation,” Nuno said.
“Because at the end of the day what we want is for all the players to be involved and committed.
“This word is very important. Commitment is very important.
“When you are committed you to understand better some kind of decisions. You are more patient and keep doing what you should do. Focus on your task, day after day.
“I wish all the players were equally committed. That would be absurd to tell that is the reality because the players have their own expectations.
“Many of them work very, very hard during the week. And then comes the weekend and the coach decides to go with other players.
“It’s not because you’re not committed, but you are upset. You are annoyed. That is respectful. It doesn’t have to do with the commitment of these players.
“These players have to go beyond. They have to make a conscious effort that he has to go again from the beginning of the week to change the opinion and the idea of the manager.
“This is how it works. In this industry, this is what the player should do. Unfortunately, it’s not what is always happening.”
🗣 "They are our players, they are here with us."
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 29, 2021
Nuno Espírito Santo on the future of Dele Alli and Harry Winks with both players being linked with moves away from Tottenham pic.twitter.com/J6n1W6mPON
Tottenham Hotspur need to beat Manchester United to move up on the league table. They are currently sitting on the 6th spot with 15 points in 9 games. Nuno and his team have recorded 5 wins and 4 defeats in the Premier League this season.
On the other hand, the Premier League game is a must-win for Manchester United. The Premier League giants are currently sitting on the 7th spot on the league table with 14 points in 9 games. So far this season, United have recorded 4 wins, 2 draws, and 3 defeats.
🗣 "There's no manager in the world who is not under pressure."
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 29, 2021
Nuno Espírito Santo says the pressure that is on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is just part of the job pic.twitter.com/3tljNcKLHU
