Dele Alli Warns Spurs to Not Be Complacent

Complacency has yet to set in for Spurs this late in the season, but Dele Alli is making sure it doesn’t reach that stage when Tottenham host Bournemouth tomorrow afternoon.

With the Cherries currently riding a three-game winning streak and being unbeaten in four matches, Bournemouth (13th place) are in-form and have already clinched a mid-table spot with 38 points to remain in the Premier League for another season.

It shows how much Bournemouth manager, Eddie Howe, has helped navigate his side through a difficult October and November spell when they went winless in eight matches in all competitions. And once again in the middle of February with three straight losses.

That kind of fight has caught the eyes of many in England and around the world considering that this is the Cherries first-ever taste of top-flight football in the club’s history.

For Dele Alli, he’s given Bournemouth the respect that they deserve, as well as Leicester, but knows that it’s really only about Spurs first and foremost after discussing the team’s mentality heading into Sunday’s match.

“Bournemouth have got some great players and it’s another one of the surprises this season,” Alli said.

“A lot of people probably expected them to go down but they’ve got a great manager, a lot of great players and it’s important that we don’t become complacent, and that we do our job and stay professional.”

“I don’t think a lot of people expected Leicester to be up there, but then a lot of people probably didn’t expect us to be up there.”

“We are just going to keep taking each game as it comes, not worry about the league too much and carry on with what we’ve been doing, and hopefully be up there at the end of the season.”

ENFIELD, ENGLAND – MARCH 16: Dele Alli of Tottenham Hotspur controls the ball during a training session ahead of the UEFA Europa League Round of 16, second leg match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Borussia Dortmund at White Hart Lane on March 16, 2016 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Alex Morton/Getty Images) /

Of course the pressure to win and keep pace with Leicester can’t be overlooked following their win over Crystal Palace earlier today.

This is something that Eddie Howe hopes will play a part when both teams face-off for the final time this season at White Hart Lane.

With Spurs playing catch up and Leicester increasing the distance with each victory, Howe wonders where both clubs will be at near the end of the season. At the same time, he’s only really concerned about his club.

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“It looks increasingly difficult for any of the other teams to bridge the gap, but it will depend on Leicester and Tottenham’s form from here on out and it will be interesting to see what happens when the pressure gets a bit more intense, it really does, when the games start running out,” Howe said.

“The microscope gets up close on both clubs, a lot can happen for both clubs and I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion.”

“But the furthest thing from my mind is who is going to win the Premier League, it is about making sure Bournemouth train well every day and comply to the maximum level.”

“Hurting title ambitions is not really in our mind, it is about us and making sure we have all got our job done.”

“We still feel we have more points to get, we have got some hard work to do. This will be a really tough game, but we are just after Bournemouth’s interests, no one else’s.”

Next: Spurs Need to Watch Their Flanks Against Bournemouth

In the end, both Spurs and Bournemouth are taking their seasons one game at a time. They both acknowledge that with the season winding down, pressure and complacency could start to creep in and hurt both side’s form. But they’ll be doing everything that they can to keep level-headed and continue striving for wins.