Tottenham Must Do Without Dele Alli for Three European Matches

Dele Alli’s brash challenge that got him sent off in Tottenham’s Europa League match against Gent in February will result in a further ban from European competitions.

It was that red card, earned just before the half-time mark in a vital match, that many pointed toward when Tottenham failed to progress in the international club competition.

Now his poor decision making will cost both him and the club next season to the tune of three matches, whether it be in the Champions League or Europa League.

Spurs are remarkable for their lack of reds, despite the fact that they foul at a particularly high rate. Indeed, this is the first red card earned by any player at the club since last season.

Which isn’t to say that there hasn’t been any controversy. The end of Tottenham’s 2015/16 season was marred by suspensions given only retroactively. Dele himself was subject to one that kept him out of the lineup for two important matches.

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The most notable of those suspensions — and the one that bears the most similarity to Dele’s situation here — was the one earned by Mousa Dembélé. In a contentious 2-2 match away to Chelsea, the Belgian attempted to gouge the eye of striker Diego Costa. Though he wasn’t removed from the match, the FA banned him from for the next six English fixture.

With that match coming so late in the season, that meant that among the most important players at Tottenham was unavailable for the first four weeks of the 2016/17 season. Mauricio Pochettino adapted, earning two draws and two wins, but it was far from the ideal way to start the season.

Now, with Spurs among the favorites to earn another Champions League berth for next season, Pochettino will need to make plans for life without Dele for half of the competition’s group stage.

Tottenham struggled even with a relatively complete side in their early matches against Monaco and Bayer Leverkusen this season. Losing a man who is quickly becoming central to the club’s attack won’t be easy by any means.

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The solution, when its found, won’t be anything drastic. Perhaps Spurs draw into an easy group that Dele might have been rested for anyhow. Perhaps Pochettino simply leans on one of his other options like Heung-min Son or a healthy Érik Lamela instead.

Regardless, with injuries already a seemingly constant factor, Pochettino cannot be thrilled about missing out on a player due to something so preventable.