Dele Alli has been criticized on social media following his poor Everton debut against Newcastle on Tuesday night.
After an injury to winger Demarai Gray, the former Tottenham midfielder came off the bench after 25 minutes at St James’ Park and was called into action by Frank Lampard.
Despite gaining the lead, the Toffees were soundly defeated on the night, with Alli putting in a particularly dismal performance, which was noted by fans on social media.
Twitter users were quick to criticize Alli’s debut, with one fan suggesting that it be placed in the ‘Hall of Shame.’
‘Dele Alli with a 0/10 performance, got him for free and feels like a heist,’ wrote @IIGalkEFC.
‘Dele Alli’s debut in the hall of shame,’ tweeted @ReagorIsBad.
Another disgruntled Everton supporter wrote, ‘Sad to say it, but Dele Alli is beyond washed.’
One person accused Alli of ‘robbing a living,’ while another labeled her as ‘mediocre at best.’
Alli was not the only Everton debutant who struggled on the night, with Donny van de Beek also putting up a poor performance.
Following Everton’s 3-1 defeat against Newcastle, Lampard stated that a lack of faith in his players’ smacks you in the face.’
Rafa Benitez was ousted and replaced by the former Derby and Chelsea manager due to the Toffees’ poor form.
Lampard witnessed his side fritter away a lead to leave St James’ Park with little to show for their efforts after a promising start in the FA Cup triumph against Brentford.
‘Confidence and belief have to be established and worked on the training ground,’ he told BT Sport afterward. We are only here for a short period, so things must change swiftly if we are to achieve our goals.’
‘Of course, the players’ self-esteem is low – it hits you square in the face. When I first arrived at the club, they were having a horrible run of results.’ There’s no way to fix it with a magic wand. This is the Premier League, and it’s a tough league to play in.’ The only thing left to do is work hard and anticipate the future. It was never going to be simple, and this result emphasizes that, but we must maintain our optimism.
‘This is something we’ll have to think about,’ he added, ‘but it’s natural to be down and disappointed.’ It is my responsibility to get them ready for the next game.
‘Now that we’ve been in Newcastle for a week, we’ve had some time to work.’ Both teams have a clear vision of where they want to go, but we must give the newcomers time to adjust.
‘This was never going to be an easy road, and we need to be laser-focused on our objectives.’