Exactly three years before Dele Alli scored twice in Tottenham Hotspur’s historic and deserved 3-1 defeat of Real Madrid on Wednesday, the midfielder was dusting himself off following a goal-scoring outing against Swindon Town.

The meteoric and seemingly unstoppable rise of Alli was questioned lately when he staged a summer auction for a new agent after ditching his former representative Rob Segal. Instead of being grounded by his beginnings as a raw, third-tier hopeful with Milton Keynes Dons, naysayers claimed his head was turned by avarice that he hoped would be satisfied via an agent who could negotiate a generous pay packet and, eventually, a lucrative transfer from north London.

His efforts against Manchester United on Saturday – letting the likes of Ashley Young get under his skin and spurning what could have been the match-winning goal – further supplemented accounts insisting he was distracted by off-the-pitch matters.

He hadn’t covered himself in glory before the United game either, picking up a suspension for allegedly showing the referee his middle finger when on international duty, and being accused of diving in Huddersfield.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

The fact that Spurs’ visit from Los Blancos was Alli’s first Champions League outing of the season was another stick to beat the Englishman with. His petulance resulted in the first red card of his career against Genk last February – a dangerous, high chop at Brecht Dejaegere – and a subsequent suspension which ran until Wednesday’s wrangle. With a pinch and a few barbed words, Alli’s fiery streak can come to the fore, and this is something he will have to control. If it isn’t tamed, he’ll cost his team matches just like he did that night at Wembley.

‘Winter is coming’

His manager Mauricio Pochettino, however, was never concerned that Alli was risking not fulfilling his promise with indiscipline and a lust for cash. In fact, he believed the 21-year-old’s best performances were just around the corner.

“He is motivated now. His internal motivation is higher now to try to compete at his best level. I am not worried about him,” Pochettino told The Telegraph’s Jeremy Wilson on Tuesday.

“I think he needs to enjoy playing football. He will show his character and personality like he did against Manchester United. I think he is calm. He feels (it) too, because he is disappointed with himself that he’s not at his best but it’s coming. Like the winter is coming.”

When Alli’s head is completely in the game, he plays with a tactical maturity that belies his tender years. His versatility is a trait Pochettino adores. The Argentinian first deployed Alli as a traditional box-to-box midfielder, exhibiting the youngster’s similar qualities to his hero Steven Gerrard. He’s since flourished when shadowing Harry Kane, making late dashes into the box with the ball at his feet or to meet a wicked delivery from Tottenham’s contingent of forward-thinking full-backs.

Against Real Madrid, he was an intelligent infiltrator of space. He somehow continually found around one of the most formidable squads ever assembled. Incredibly, Alli should’ve scored a hat-trick against the back-to-back Champions League winner.

His showing was undeniably cocksure, but when it’s channelled correctly, it can deliver performances that add credence to arguments that he can grow into a world-class talent. It’s a quirk that doesn’t necessarily shackle precocious talent: Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t exactly shy of his own reflection.

“It was a fantastic performance from us,” Alli said post-match. “We knew if we stuck to the game plan and stayed solid at the back, we would have a lot of chances. We spoke after the game at their place and couldn’t believe the space we had. The easy pass was sometimes too obvious at times. We don’t want to compete with these teams, we want to be winning.”

Alli managed to overshadow local hero Kane’s triumphant, speedy return from injury and Christian Eriksen’s ever-artful work. But, most tellingly, it was an evening that showed the spellbinding acts Alli is capable of when he’s focused and not distracted.

If the reports are true, Alli, be warned. For athletes who follow the temptations that sports dangle in front of their noses, the fall can be much lower than Swindon Town.

Cristiano Ronaldo avoided criticising the crop of new players that have recently arrived at Real Madrid after Wednesday’s loss to Tottenham, but conceded that the defending European champion is suffering from a lack of experience.

On the heels of a decisive 3-1 loss to Spurs – Real Madrid’s first group stage defeat since 2012 – and a disappointing defeat to Girona in La Liga last weekend, Ronaldo reflected on the aspects that helped fuel Los Blancos to back-to-back Champions League titles, and identified the losses of Pepe, Alvaro Morata, and James Rodriguez as major factors behind the team’s recent struggles.

“The players who have arrived have a lot of potential but Pepe, Morata, and James made us stronger and the players are younger now,” Ronaldo told reporters, according to Richard Martin of Reuters.

“Our squad isn’t worse, but it’s less experienced and experience is very important. But it’s no excuse and we shouldn’t be alarmed.”

All three players were offloaded this past summer. Pepe joined Turkish side Besiktas, while Morata was sold to Chelsea for £60 million. Rodriguez was shipped off to Germany, where he has begun to feature more frequently for Bayern Munich since joining the defending Bundesliga champion on a two-year loan deal.

(Photo courtesy: Getty)

Real Madrid’s starting team Wednesday was comprised mainly of the stars that have helped add silver to Real Madrid’s trophy case. But the inclusion of 18-year-old defender Achraf Hakimi and second-choice goalkeeper Kiko Casilla in the starting XI, as well as a bench with an average age of 20, backs Ronaldo’s claim that Real Madrid lacks experience.

Despite the consecutive losses, Ronaldo would not get caught up in talk of a crisis and cited the tremendous success since manager Zinedine Zidane took charge of Real Madrid.

“People forget about the good times very quickly. I never talk of a crisis, you can lose three or four games but there’s never a crisis. We can’t forget what we’ve achieved,” he said.

“This is a bad run but we want to turn things around and I’m sure we will. This is only the start of the season, we still have a lot of time to improve and I‘m convinced we will.”

“Crisis” is likely the most common term that greeted Real Madrid supporters on the back pages Thursday morning in the wake of yet another defeat.

Finding a major outlet in Spain that’s putting a positive spin on the club’s 3-1 loss to Tottenham at Wembley Stadium will be about as difficult as convincing a Lionel Messi supporter to agree with FIFA naming Cristiano Ronaldo World Player of the Year. The country’s biggest press agencies lambasted the shortcomings of Zinedine Zidane’s squad – and with good reason.

Europe’s once indomitable force is off to a worryingly slow start in a season many expected would reach the familiar heights of the last two campaigns. Just six months after ending a five-year wait to win the league title, and a second straight Champions League triumph that increased the club’s record haul to 12, Real Madrid’s hopes of lifting silverware this season are beginning to fade.

The goal of defending its La Liga crown is already close to slipping away. Sunday’s loss to Girona leaves Real Madrid eight points off Barcelona’s pace. But domestic frustrations were, until Wednesday at least, masked by the expectation that Zidane’s stars would return to form under the bright lights of the Champions League.

Now that Real has shown cracks on the European stage as well, there’s plenty of finger-pointing at the Santiago Bernabeu as one of the world’s most successful clubs attempts to identify why a relatively unchanged team comprised of the world’s best talent isn’t meeting expectations just six months after winning the double.

The most blatant issue is perhaps the most unavoidable. Injuries have been an unwelcome theme throughout the season thus far, sidelining several significant first-team regulars.

At Wembley, Real Madrid revealed it doesn’t have the depth required to negate the losses of Raphael Varane and Dani Carvajal as Tottenham’s potent attack bombarded a shaky backline that featured 18-year-old Achraf Hakimi. Gareth Bale has been another glaring absence. His side has struggled to find the back of the net without the Welsh international since he went down with a knock Sept. 26.

Injuries are, of course, impossible to predict, which is why Real Madrid will regret its relatively quiet summer on the transfer market.

Real Madrid’s idle approach has now been criticised by Cristiano Ronaldo, who complained the team lacks experience after Pepe, Alvaro Morata, and James Rodriguez departed and were supplanted with young players such as Theo Hernandez and Dani Ceballos.

Related: Ronaldo: Real Madrid was stronger with Pepe, Morata, Rodriguez

Ronaldo needs to shoulder some of the blame too. The Portuguese superstar has been Real Madrid’s only reliable scorer in the Champions League – notching six of the team’s eight goals – but, regardless of his five-match suspension to begin the season, his domestic form has left a lot to be desired.

Adding to the team’s frustrations up top is Karim Benzema’s inability to rediscover his scoring touch. The Frenchman has produced just one goal over eight domestic and continental appearances.

Similar to Benzema, Luka Modric and Casemiro are experiencing a significant dip in form, leaving the midfield reliant on the supremely talented Toni Kroos to deputise. Even the German, though, has been incapable of steering the ship over this prolonged period that’s seen teams run riot up the middle of the park.

At this point, it seems daft to suggest that the season is lost and it’s time for a major overhaul on the touchline. Yet Zidane will surely start to feel the heat if he’s unable to find a solution and return Real Madrid to the awe-inspiring form that fans around the world have come to expect.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

Harry Kane will be threatening Real Madrid’s defence on Wednesday.

Kane was named to Tottenham Hotspur’s starting lineup for a Champions League game versus Real Madrid, recovered from the hamstring problem that kept him out of a defeat at Manchester United. The match will mark his first appearance since he tallied two goals in a victory over Liverpool.

Heung-Min Son, who started for Tottenham at Old Trafford, was dropped to the bench.

Kane, who boasts five goals and one assist in the Champions League, played a significant role in Tottenham’s draw at Real Madrid, pressuring Keylor Navas as the ball crossed the line.