The list of TV and media Pundits, ex-pros let alone journalists that have now put the boot into Alli continues to grow on an almost daily basis, having once exaggerated his skills and contributions and fast-tracked talked him up into the international elite, they all now appear to be relishing ripping him a new one.
Again and again you hear platitudes and cliches of ‘too much, too soon’ or ‘too many things going on outside of football’, you name it the list of problems that he has apparently brought upon himself for having such a precious talent is almost unbelievable.
Once hailed as the brightest young English Player in ten years, he’s now an over-rated has-been or a spoilt little kid…
I think at the heart of all this are some very simple, basic physical and physiological issues; for those of you who have the time and the inclination I’d urge you to read Physique, Fitness, and Performance, Second Edition
By Thomas Battinelli
it is a great start to understand why performance waxing and wanes in young adults as they mature.
There have been many intense long studies of the effect of playing high intensity sports at an early age before your body has finished growing and settles into it’s natural size and form, there have been a number particularly on young professional footballers and the correlation between top class football and a career then filled with soft-tissue injuries that never seemingly go away, some amazing pro’s have had their careers blighted by playing at too high an intensity, too young and for too long.
Eventually all those youngsters that have been thrust into the top level will hit a physical brick wall, descriptions can vary from an inability to control the ball as they once did, self doubt, niggling soft tissue injuries, faster effects of fatigue and of course what seems at times a complete loss of control and natural skills.
There are many physiological changes that occur all the way up to 25, frame, bone density (related to physical stresses) muscle fibres, heart rate, blood pressure, breathing – all have an effect on sleep patterns and inherent mental and physical well-being.
Despite the huge weight of evidence from sport science that these effects are real and manifest themselves in different ways, I haven’t heard a single know it all pundit offer these reasons up as to why he’s struggled for form this year.
The single biggest factor is in my eyes that he’s simply been playing at too high a level for too long. Fergie would rotate and rest his young up and coming players on a regular basis no matter what the pressure was to do otherwise.
I’m absolutely certain that Poch has daily access to our sports scientists, doctors and fitness coaches and I hope that every single on of them are now telling him to take Alli out of the firing line for the sake of his longer term career and to get some of this idiot should know better pundits off Alli’s back.
He’ll bounce back, I absolutely guarantee it, as long as Poch acts swiftly now and puts a long protective arm around his shoulder and shields him from the outright nastiness that some of these pundits seem to be loving?
I’m sick of reading and hearing armchair ex-pro’s and commentators calling fans ‘fickle’ and ‘impatience’ or being told that fans do not understand the finer points of player development or the game, maybe the sycophants that they were should examine their own roll in this daily diatribe of crap they are throwing at Alli and demonstrate that they do have a brain, they can use it and stop their jaws from moving whilst they all keep repeating one cliché after another?
What would you do?
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