Tottenham Hotspur’s Nigerian-born player, Bamidele Alli has declared that The Lilywhites must fight harder if they are to stand any chance of finishing in the top-six bracket this season in the English Premier League, megasportsarena.com reports.
Speaking against the backdrop of a face-saving 1-1 draw on Saturday against Burnley, Alli admitted iot was good getting a point on the road, but stressed that he and his colleagues need better results to get them higher up on the EPL log.
Alli said after netting the crucial goal that fetched the point for Jose Mourinho’s side that there is no shortage of talent in Tottenham’s dressing room but has called on his team-mates to “work hard and fight” in the closing stages of the season.
In netting the equalizer at Turf Moor, Alli became the seventh Spurs player to reach 50 English Premier League goals, and only Harry Kane reached the milestone at a younger age, but the England international midfielder insists he has to give more for the team.
Nonetheless, Alli admitted he was happy with Saturday’s result, even as Spurs earlier thrashed the same opponent 5-0 in north London only three months ago but were thoroughly outclassed for the first 45 minutes and The Clarets should have had more than Chris Wood’s goal to show.
The home side had to settle for a draw after Alli scored his 50th EPL goal from the penalty spot, having take on the responsibility because of injuries to strikers Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
The duo’s absence in recent weeks has coincided with a slump in form for Mourinho’s side, but they sparked into life after the interval thanks to the introductions of Giovani Lo Celso and Lucas Moura, but the Nigerian-born lad is asking for more effort, after they avoided a third successive top-flight defeat.
Alli said: “It’s a good achievement but it’s hard to think of it in a positive way when we didn’t win the game. Talent isn’t going to get you the three points and push you over the line. When you’re in the Premier League at this stage everyone’s fighting and working hard, we have to match that and have the same fight and enthusiasm.
“You have to be switched on throughout the whole game, your talent isn’t going to be enough, you have to work hard and fight. We did in that in the second half and it was disappointing not to get the three points in the end.
“We can’t hide, there’s no hiding in the Premier League, the stats and the table are out there for everyone to see. As well as we play in some games, we’re not getting over the line. I think we’ve shown the character we’ve had in this squad throughout the years we’ve been together. This is a very tough period for us in terms of results but I believe we can turn it around.”
