Ross Barkley believes that Tottenham Hotspur’s Mousa Dembele is the most difficult player he has had to come up against come against. The two came face to face as Spurs hosted Barkley’s Everton last weekend.
Spurs were forced to battle to the end of the game as a Romelu Lukaku goal made it 2-1 giving the Toffees hope of a comeback after two strikes from Harry Kane put Spurs in front.
Tottenham then regained a two goal lead through Dele Alli before a lapse in concentration from a set piece allowed Everton a second goal minutes after Tottenham’s third.
Dembele extremely hard to play against
Before the game Barkley confessed to Everton’s official YouTube channel that when he “played against him (Dembele) when I was 18 or 19 and I thought it was very tough”. The midfielder continued to explain that “he’s probably the hardest player I’ve played against” as he is “a strong player, he gets his foot in well and dictates play.”
Dembele has now become a crucial member of Mauricio Pochettino’s team, having formed an influential partnership with Victor Wanyama this season, while having formed a solid pairing with Eric Dier the previous season. Prior to Pochettino’s arrival at Spurs the midfielder was struggling to fight for his spot in the Spurs team and even looked like leaving the club at one point. Since his manager has labeled as a “genius” as well as hailing his partnership with Wanyama as key to the balance in the squad. Dembele has found his role as the driving force of Spurs’ midfield linking defence and attack with powerful runs.
Tottenham will now take a break from the Premier League as they host Millwall in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup. The Lilywhites will fancy their chances to win their first major trophy since 2006 when they lifted the English Football League Cup, then the Carling Cup.