Tottenham Monitoring Eric Dier Who Suffered a Concussion

Potential changes in Tottenham’s starting lineup are bound to happen if Eric Dier and Dele Alli aren’t available when Mauricio Pochettino’s side travels to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea on Monday night.

Immediately after West Bromwich Albion equalized during last Monday’s game, Eric Dier went down in a heap and needed treatment after getting struck in the head during a corner kick. It was quickly surmised as a concussion when Eric Dier was subbed off for Ryan Mason.

With Monday night’s match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge quickly approaching, Mauricio Pochettino could be on the verge of losing both Dier and Dele Alli to a three-match ban after being charged with violent conduct.

The immediate solution to this problem would be shifting Mousa Dembélé over to defensive midfield while Ryan Mason takes over at central midfield and Tom Carroll being on the bench as a substitute.

As for Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen could return to his natural position or Son Heung-Min could fill in instead. Either way though, Pochettino will need to reshuffle his starting eleven assuming that Dier won’t be cleared and Alli is suspended.

LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 25: The injured Eric Dier of Tottenham Hotspur leaves the pitch during the Barclays Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and West Bromwich Albion at White Hart Lane on April 25, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /

This kind of a patch job could have major consequences with two key players out of the lineup and a Chelsea side who will do anything to make sure that Tottenham don’t win the Premier League title.

Even if they trail Leicester City by seven points with three games remaining.

And with this fixture being a crucial London derby with Manchester City and Arsenal trailing Tottenham by only five points, Spurs can’t afford to drop any more points to close out the season to ensure a top-three finish.

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Assuming that Dier is fit enough, there’s no way that Mauricio Pochettino will have him play the full 90 minutes.

Whether that means he starts the game and goes 60 to 75 minutes or comes on late in the second half is unknown, but it’s easier to just pencil in Eric Dier as questionable, regardless.

The 22-year-old has missed one league game due to yellow card accumulation, and coming off a concussion, despite what’s at stake, resting for one match shouldn’t be too much of an ask.

Because at Dier’s current pace, he will surpass 50 games in just his second season with Tottenham. As he has played in 34 league games so far, with 48 total appearances in all competitions.

Also, since the Argentine manager wants to be absolutely certain that there won’t be any lingering effects and a possible chance of getting injured again, he tends to let players take their time in their recovery.

And something like a concussion won’t be a quick recovery process.

Next: Tottenham Player Ratings: Home vs West Brom

Whatever Mauricio Pochettino does from now until Monday, a couple of guesses includes Eric Dier and Dele Alli missing the second fixture against Chelsea. A difficult match against fellow London rivals and either an inspired game from an angry Tottenham squad who couldn’t put away West Brom.

Or coming out completely flat from the start after a major disappointment in letting the league title slip through their grasps and giving Leicester City the chance to clinch it on Sunday at Old Trafford against Manchester United.

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