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Tottenham’s concerning recent dire record when centre back plays

By Gary Pearson

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: Eric Dier of Tottenham Hotspur during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 First Leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Dinamo Zagreb at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on March 11, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: Eric Dier of Tottenham Hotspur during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 First Leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Dinamo Zagreb at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on March 11, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images) /
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Tottenham have lost the last five top flight matches that Eric Dier has started, a disconcerting trend that should have prevented Jose from selecting him.

I don’t know how many times it has to recur for Jose to recognize and enact a corrective course of action. Dier started a match for the first time since the infamous debacle in Zagreb, when Tottenham crashed out of the Europa League after leading by two goals going into the return leg with Dinamo.

If that wasn’t proof enough of Dier’s recent startling ineptitude, Jose should pay attention to his side’s recent record when the centre back marshals the rearguard. Not only have Tottenham lost five Premier League matches on the trot, Jose’s men picked up just two wins from 12 top flight encounters when Dier starts. The two victories came against Sheffield United, the league’s bottom feeders, and Leeds, this season’s Premier League’s Jekyll and Hyde.

Spurs conceded 20 goals in those 12 encounters, allowing three on three separate occasions. I’m not saying it’s entirely Dier’s fault, as that would perfectly embody the definition of scapegoating.

But Dier has to take the brunt of disproportionate blame for his side’s inability to win with him in the starting team. As if a rash of needless, egregious personal errors isn’t enough, Dier now seems to have lost the desire to battle in the midst of darkening collective and individual adversity.

Prematurely giving up on Fred’s equalizer was a microcosm of his recent loss of combative appetite he was once renowned for. Committing recurring individual errors, while still unacceptable at an elite level, can be forgiven if not understood.

However, there is no excuse for mailing it in. That type of apathy cannot be accepted nor forgiven. Surely Jose recognized his side’s recent unravelling with Dier in the team. So why did he decide to restore the Englishman to the side against the joint-best away outfit in the Premier League?

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