Magazine

The Boot Room Issue 15
April 2016
Dele Alli’s emergence at the top level of the English game has, in many ways,
reflected this year’s Premier League campaign: refreshing and reassuring.
The 19 year-old’s fearless attacking performances, spectacular goals and spirit of
adventure have been hugely encouraging for English football. After all - according
to critics - England don’t produce players like this.
Alli’s rise to fame hasn’t, however, come as a shock for those that have accompanied
him along his player development journey.
For those who have helped guide the youngster into the professional game,
his level of performance – and the style in which he has played - has come as less
of a surprise. Freedom and inventiveness are the product of process.
“When I saw him nutmeg Luka Modric last pre-season when Spurs played
Madrid in a friendly and then watch him do it regularly in Premier League
games– it reminded me of what I used to see when he was training in the dome
at MK Dons,” explained England U16 coach Dan Micciche, who helped oversee
Alli’s development at MK Dons academy between the ages of 12-16. “Every kid
in the dome would be doing that,” he added.
Micciche explained that ever since Alli arrived at the club as a scrawny, but
grounded and level-headed, 11 year-old, he played with a sense of freedom,
was willing to excite with the ball and experiment whilst he was playing.
The club’s biggest fear was knocking the creativity out of him.
“With Dele – through the work done at the academy by the academy
manager Mike Dove and the staff we had there at the time – we would
celebrate the way he played. The exciting part of his game would be
the bit that we were waiting to see. That type of play would put a smile
on our face – we didn’t want him to get rid of it," said Micciche.
Alli made his debut
for MK Dons aged
16 years old.
14 | 15
Dan Micciche (above) coaching
at MK Dons where he worked
with Dele Alli for four years
between the ages of 12 and 16.
Dele Alli in action for MK Dons were he made more
than 70 league appearances early in his career.
The club were cautious not to overburden their creative
talent with too many learning objectives , instead focusing
on making his strengths better rather than focusing solely
on weaknesses. There was also accountability for the staff:
instead of blaming the player for a mistake the attention
turned to what the coaches could have done better.
“Dele didn't drown in a sea of learning objectives. Often
we identify a problem but give the wrong treatment,”
explained Micciche.
“If his creativity was an 8 out of 10, his programme was to
get that to a 9 rather than ignore it and focus on other things
which are less relevant and his creativity then drops to a 6
out of 10.
“Key to this was recognising what he was trying to do and
what he showed potential at being good at and developing
that even further. So if he lost the ball dribbling we would look
at why? It might have been because he didn’t play with enough
disguise, didn't move his feet quickly enough or didn't play with
his eyes. We’d then try and work on this, we wouldn’t straight
away tell him to stop dribbling and pass,” added Micciche.
In December last year, The FA launched the England DNA age-phase
priorities – a set of guidelines to help coaches in their work with young
players. Coaches are encouraged to help young players ‘Stay on the
ball, master the ball’, ‘Excite with the ball and seek creative solutions’,
and ‘Creatively connect and combine with others’. It could quite easily
read as a description of Alli’s playing style.
“Do you need to put this stuff into kids?,” asks Micciche. “Or is it
more a case of safeguarding against them losing it? Let’s be honest,
when the kids are growing up at 6,7 and 8 they don’t share anything.
The majority of them don’t pass the ball.
"The way Dele played
when he was younger
would be described as
‘showboating’ or we
would think that it
is a player trying to
be ‘too clever’"