Tottenham v Aston Villa: After three consecutive Premier League defeats, Nuno Espirito Santo and his merry men are in dire need of a pre-international break victory at home to Aston Villa tomorrow. Speaking after their Europa Conference League win against Slovenian side Mura last night, Dele Alli said there would be no quick fixes for Tottenham’s problems.
“Last weekend, I’m sure the fans felt it a lot but believe me the players felt it a lot more,” he said of Tottenham’s smiting at the hands of Arsenal on Sunday, a game in which he was substituted at half-time. “We were devastated. We know we’re going through a period where it’s important we all stay together. The fans, the players and the coaching staff.
“We’re building, we’re working. The transition from last season, if anyone thought it would be magical and just all slot into place, that’s not the way it works. We’re seeing things we’re happy with, we’re seeing things we’re not happy with. We’re trying to improve. Sometimes things take time.
“Hopefully not too much time, we know that, but we want the fans to stick behind us. We’re going to keep working, keep fighting. We’re building something.”
Of his removal from proceedings, Alli had this to say. “For me personally, being subbed at half-time as well, [resulted in] a couple of sleepless nights. We know what we have to do. To keep working, to believe in the process, everyone at the club – the fans, the players – they have to believe in what we’re doing. We have to keep working, keep fighting every day, keep trying to improve.
“There’s a lot of things we know we need to work on. And I go back to saying this, it’s not going to be a click the fingers and we’re back to where we want to be. It’s a process and we believe it in as players and coaching staff, and as a club we believe in it. So we have to keep working and keep fighting.”
