Manager left seriously impressed by ‘outstanding’ Tottenham youngster in League Cup last night
After grabbing the ball just beyond the center circle, the 19-year-old drove to the edge of the box and fired a hard shot into the bottom corner.It’s safe to say that Devine has impressed his manager Andy Crosby because his effort proved to be the difference between the two teams at Field Mill last night.
Port Vale boss left impressed by Alfie Devine’s latest display
After Vale’s historic victory last night, Crosby singled out Devine for praise in an interview with Chad.
Alfie Devine scored a fantastic goal, and we had to step on the throttle and push again, the Vale manager remarked. It was a terrific finish and well-executed.
It’s been an incredible ride for me as a manager in my first season. However, I promise to be dependable. I want us to work on creating a style, playing in teams, controlling the ball, and remaining united when things become hard.
This season, Devine has already made 15 appearances for the Valiants and has contributed to six goals.
The Spurs rookie has already trained with England’s senior squad this season and appears to have a bright future ahead of him.
Devine is unquestionably benefiting from his loan assignment and the first-team experience he is getting.
Before Ange Postecoglou finally made the decision to send him out on loan, he made an impression for Spurs throughout the preseason.
Devine has now scored in back-to-back games for Vale after scoring an incredible overhead kick goal last time out in League One.
In a related development:
‘I cannot lie’: Mauricio Pochettino shares honest verdict on Chelsea player Spurs wanted to sign
MAURICIO POCHETTINO SHARES VERDICT ON CHELSEA’S NICOLAS JACKSON
Chelsea’s lack of a killing instinct has been a major issue this season as they have only scored 13 goals in the Premier League.
Mauricio Pochettino defends Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson
Nicolas Jackson was the man leading the line against Brentford, but he faced another difficult day in front of the goal.
This past summer, Jackson left Villarreal for £32 million, and Chelsea pounced to grab him.
The Senegalese international, who scored 12 goals in La Liga the previous season, had a January transfer to Bournemouth fall through.
Jackson may have felt that signing with Chelsea as their new striking option in the summer was a step too far for him.
Jackson appears to be losing confidence since he has only managed two goals in the Premier League this season.
After the loss to Brentford, Premier League great Alan Shearer criticized Jackson, implying on Match of the Day that his mobility simply isn’t good enough.
Although he concurs with the analysis, Pochettino now told The Telegraph that he thinks it is “really dangerous” to pass judgment on a single game.
Jackson has demonstrated excellent movement in previous games, but Pochettino said that his performance against Brentford just “wasn’t his best.”
The Argentinean is begging Chelsea to give Jackson some more time, saying they need to rebuild his confidence.
“I think that Nico, if you watch the game against Liverpool or Dortmund in pre-season, or Luton, he was doing what the analysis was about and what we expect. But for different circumstances, Nico is not at his best today. For different circumstances, but we need to recover the player that was,” said Pochettino.
“It’s really dangerous, this type of analysis, because it’s one game. I cannot lie, it wasn’t his best, but we need to be fair. If you watch Luton, if you watch Dortmund in pre-season, if you watch Liverpool, you will see this is one player. The Brentford game was another player. I agree with the analysis, but it’s not fair to say he is not capable of doing what we expect of him.”
“I believe in him. The only problem is time. I don’t want to give examples, but he arrived at Chelsea in a situation that is not easy for him. Maybe players with more time than Nico, they are not performing in the way that we expect. We need to give time, for sure he has the conditions. Nico is young, he arrived this season, circumstances didn’t help him perform at his best. What can we do? Throw him in the bin and say he is useless? Come on, we need to give him confidence,” he added.
Would Jackson have been better off at Tottenham?
Over the summer, clubs other than Chelsea expressed interest in Jackson.
Jackson may be the target of a bid from Tottenham, according to a Sunday (18/06) article on page 62 in The Sun.
The contest was won by Chelsea; although, at this point in his growth, it could have been wiser for him to go to Spurs.
With Jackson’s ability to play a supporting role, Son Heung-min would have had competition in the Tottenham offense.
For Jackson, who is extremely raw and has to improve, that would have been perfect. Jackson has genuine promise.
Jackson had the opportunity to advance gradually and pick up skills from Son, a successful Premier League striker.
Jackson has been thrust into the starting lineup as Chelsea’s primary striker instead, placing a lot of burden on a young, inexperienced youngster.
Jackson is in a tough spot because Chelsea doesn’t even have a seasoned Premier League striker who could give him some advice.
Raheem Sterling could be useful, but as Jackson is discovering, it’s challenging to lead the line alone.
Although we still believe Jackson will have great success at Chelsea in the future, he might have fared better at Spurs given the circumstances and atmosphere there.
