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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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BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – MARCH 21: Davinson Sanchez of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park on March 21, 2021 in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Sporting stadiums around England 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 Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – MARCH 21: Davinson Sanchez of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park on March 21, 2021 in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Sporting stadiums around England 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 Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images) /

Jose’s lack of defensive options not an excuse

Jose is challenged by an overt lack of central defensive options. Davinson Sanchez endured a nightmare outing last time out against Newcastle, making it almost impossible for the gaffer to select him for yesterday’s encounter with United.

But at this point, he is, begrudgingly, the lesser of two evils. He has picked up recent wins where Dier has not while also forming a decent partnership with Toby Alderweireld. The tandem were at the heart of defence when Spurs recently won three successive matches. 

Which begs the question why Toby didn’t start against United. After failing to attend a mandatory COVID test before the Newcastle match, the Belgian was available for selection against United.

His inclusion should have been a sure thing. His experience alone is reason enough to select him for such an incredibly difficult test. And Joe Rodon, who was certainly better than Dier yesterday, is also currently above Dier in the pecking order. So a Toby/Joe partnership pair was yet another option for the Special One.

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It’s always easy to blame managers in the aftermath of failure. Jose should have stuck to his guns and maintained the conviction that kept Dier out of the team for almost three months. Restoring him to the lineup against England’s second best team was a catastrophic failure in judgement, a fact that came disparagingly to light from the moment Edison Cavan’s first goal was ruled out.

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