Three reasons you knew Tottenham was in trouble prior to semifinal kickoff

3. No Eric Dier, nobody to marshal the backline

One can only infer that Eric Dier was affected by Covid-19. It’s the only explanation as to why he didn’t start, and wasn’t on the bench, the first leg of a semi-final that was begging for his presence. We all witnessed first hand that without Dier, and absentee Cristian Romero, there is no marshal in Tottenham’s rearguard.

Davinson Sanchez, even before kickoff, has proven he is unable to confidently lead Tottenham’s defence from the most important central role. And so the car wreck of a first half transpired, with the Colombian back to his former unaware self. Dragged out of position more easily than coaxing a shopaholic with their favourite handbag, Sanchez was unable to provide the stability Tottenham so badly required.

Not only dragged out of position, Sanchez also had fits trying to cope with Romelu Lukaku, who has just come back into Chelsea’s team and still hasn’t found top gear. If you didn’t already know it, the 2-0 loss showed just how important Dier is to Spurs. I’m not saying Tottenham would have won with Dier in the team, but at least he would have offered a stabilizing force in an otherwise unstable, shaky environment.

It was also a clear sign of how far Joe Rodon has dropped down the pecking order. Conte must have no faith in the Welshman whatsoever, because this was a match begging for his participation.