Eric Dier Talks Tottenham, Trophies, Training, and Rooney
By Aaron Coe
Eric Dier was recently featured in one of the Premier League’s online venture a little weekly segment called Uncut where the Tottenham star talked football and more.
Eric Dier is an intense competitor on the football pitch but seems a swell fellow off it. As part of the Premier League’s world domination focused marketing Dier was featured in a segment on Uncut. In a relaxing 10-minute conversation the Tottenham defender spoke about his club debut, training with Spurs attackers, and his need to win a trophy with Spurs. Here are some highlights of Dier’s enjoyable talk.
Tottenham Different this Year
Dier started the interview talking about the positive atmosphere and how although the team “has been in similar positions at this stage in the season” that this year there was “a very good feeling within the squad”. Eric noted one of those differences came from the strangeness of last season – with a managerial change and the Covid stoppage.
The bigger change at the club was “having a preseason – although a small one – with the manager for the first time and starting from scratch.” In other words, last season Spurs had Mourinho coaching, but within the framework already established by Mauricio Pochettino. Whereas this season, there is no doubting whose direction the team is following.
Training with the Best
Dier talked about training from a couple perspectives, but all related to the fact that he and his defensive teammates regularly face six vastly different attacking players. Squaring off against “some of the best in the world” each day at practice is good for his improvement as a defender, noting it is great to “train against them”.
Unless them is Lucas Moura, then maybe the training is not so fun. Dier noted that “there is no-one worse to train against than Lucas Moura” that he “is a nightmare as he is so fast and so sharp”. Dier also mentioned one more South American, Erik Lamela who was tough on two fronts. With Lamela, he “is a nightmare because offensively he is so good.” However, it is when Coco does not have the ball and you have the ball that “he kicks lumps out of you” meaning he practices just like he plays which should surprise no one. Ultimately, whether Bergwijn’s shake, Son’s power, or Kane’s all-around game, the idea of steel sharpening steel is alive and well in Tottenham training.
Coming to Tottenham and England
Eric Dier was asked about making the change and coming to Tottenham, which was no easy for a player who had been in Portugal since he was 8 year of age. Dier even noted how his mom thought his first start – in his first match for Spurs against West Ham – was going to be a moment too big for him. Fortunately, Dier scored, Spurs won, and Eric has a picture at home on his wall of him after his goal with his mom in the stands. A neat moment and insight into a memory we all probably see a bit differently.
The other trip down memory lane was Dier thinking about his first time playing in the England set-up with Wayne Rooney and how Rooney was helping to take himself and Dele under his wing. The England Captain would “sit with us at lunch” and worked to make the pair feel “special”. If nothing else, this is a concept Dier is trying to pass on as he grows into one of the more senior members of the Three Lions side.
Tottenham and Trophy or Tragedy
Maybe the biggest takeaway for me was hearing Eric Dier speak about the idea of winning a trophy. As an international player Eric has played in the World Cup and scored a winning penalty for England in the process. With Spurs Dier has already played 250 games for the club and is clearly part of José Mourinho core group.
All that said Dier’s goal is to win a trophy with Tottenham. The defensive leader said that if “it didn’t happen it would devastate me for the rest of my life”. Those words really struck me, because you often hear athletes talk about how they do not need a trophy to be validated. Whether it would be validation or something else, to hear an athlete admit that not winning a trophy would not be good enough is kind of refreshing.
Given Eric Dier is the leader of the defense for my team, hearing that makes me all the happier, because I imagine that there are thousands of Spurs fans that feel the same way. If Eric Dier, Harry Kane, and this golden generation of Tottenham talent fail to win a trophy it would be devastating for a lot of people, who have been devastated for far too long. Knowing core players share that same desire just makes being a fan that much easier. Hopefully, preseason in tow, Tottenham can break their trophy drought this season and none of us must go on being devastated for eternity.