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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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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) /

Dier’s record in first half of season

One could excuse Jose’s unwavering belief in Dier when delving into the team’s record in the first half of the season. After Tottenham’s loss to Everton in the season opener, Tottenham went on a 10-match unbeaten run with Dier patrolling the heart of defence.

It’s a perplexing, mind-boggling tale of two halves. The main difference, like we see so many times at the top level, comes down to confidence and self-belief. Dier played with assertiveness, decisively leading the team from the back. Sure, he still made mistakes but usually easily offset those errors with robust, combative displays, invariably helping his team climb the ladder to first place on the Premier League table.

The wheels flew violently off when Spurs lost their first encounter to Liverpool. A 90th minute Roberto Firmino winner marked the start of Dier’s personal unravelling. He’s been a mere shadow of himself since that fateful encounter.

The gaffer, in fairness to Mourinho, recognized the individual’s personal struggles and demoted Dier to a fringe player, used mostly in the Europa League. Prior to yesterday’s encounter, Dier hadn’t played a Premier League match since Spurs lost to West Ham on Feb. 21.

That’s a span of two and a half months. So throwing him back into the fire against the top away side in England after such a long layoff was a recipe for disaster. Mourinho has recently developed a newfound knack of setting his players up for failure. Dier certainly wasn’t up for the challenge presented to him, again showing the severity of his precipitous drop in form.

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