Tottenham's Dele Alli says he shares a natural chemistry with Heung-min Son

Perfect partnership: Alli provided Son's second goal in Tottenham's win over Qarabag
(IAN KINGTON/AFP/Getty Images)
Tom Collomosse18 September 2015

Dele Alli expects to form the perfect partnership with Heung-min Son after revealing the pair have a “natural chemistry”.

The Tottenham duo made their full debuts for the club only last Sunday but seem to have developed an immediate understanding ahead of the weekend's derby against Crystal Palace.

Alli, 19, and Son, 23, appeared always to be looking for one another in the Europa League win over Qarabag. On his home debut, £22million forward Son scored twice in as many minutes, with Alli providing his second goal.

“We think the same way and you can see that on the training pitch,” said Alli. “It’s really good to have that natural chemistry with someone.

“There are a lot of players here who are intelligent and want to play the same way, so it naturally links together. We’ve had the understanding from the start. Son is a really good guy and very easy to get along with.

“When you’re playing with players like these, it’s hard not to enjoy yourself. I was a central midfielder at MK Dons (Alli’s former club) and I’m playing further forward here.”

Frank Augstein/AP

Alli joined Spurs last January but was immediately loaned back to Milton Keynes, who were in League One at the time. He helped them win promotion before moving to White Hart Lane during the summer.

Alli was not expected to be a regular first choice for head coach Mauricio Pochettino but he scored his first Spurs goal in the 1-1 draw at Leicester last month and followed it with eye-catching performances against Sunderland and Qarabag.

Although there are likely to be peaks and troughs with such a young player, Alli has a priceless ability to improvise, a quality Spurs have lacked in attack in recent seasons.

Some of the tricks might not always work but Alli has the confidence to try them and an instinctive grasp of when to retain possession and when to release it. These are early days but for just £5million, the signs are very promising.

Nor does Alli lack belief in his talent. “I wouldn’t say I’ve surprised myself,” he said. “It’s a big jump from League One but I’m confident in my ability and I can’t thank the players enough for how they’ve helped me settle in, and for the way I’m performing. It makes it easier for me to play as I know I can.”

With games against Palace, Arsenal in the Capital One Cup, and Manchester City to come in the space of seven days, it will be interesting to see how often Pochettino uses Alli.

If he plays as he did against Qarabag, he will be a threat against all three. Son’s double – and a late third from Erik Lamela – ensured Spurs made a winning start to their Europa League campaign, despite falling behind early to a penalty from Richard Almeida.

Son’s goals showed he was capable of playing as a central striker and should ease the strain on Harry Kane, the sole specialist centre-forward at the club. The England player scored 31 times for Tottenham last season but has still to get off the mark this term.

He looked sharp when he replaced Son against Qarabag, winning the ball deep inside the visitors’ territory and sending Lamela clear to score the decisive third.

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