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Great Dier article...

nicdic

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May 8, 2005
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Source: http://www.hamhigh.co.uk/sport/foot..._dortmund_under_mauricio_pochettino_1_4463061

Eric Dier says Borussia Dortmund are the best side Tottenham have faced this season – and he believes Spurs can reach the same level as the German club under Mauricio Pochettino.

Dortmund contested the 2013 Champions League final and were too strong for Tottenham over the two legs of the last-16 Europa League tie, triumphing 3-0 at home last week and then winning 2-1 at White Hart Lane on Thursday.

It gave Dier and his team-mates a taste of what they might face if they qualify for next season’s Champions League – but the 22-year-old is relishing that challenge and feels Spurs will only go from strength to strength with time and experience.

“I didn’t play them in the first leg but from this leg I think they’re probably the best side we’ve faced this season,” said Dier. “They’re a very good team but, at the same time, I think we could have done better in both legs.

“I think they played quite a similar style to us. I don’t think they beat us with tactics or anything - I think at times we should have been a lot better. “But they’re a team that’s been progressing maybe since [Jurgen] Klopp was there. They’ve had five or six years to get to this stage. We’re a year in with our manager and this group of players so if you talk to me in four years’ time we’ll probably be at their level or ahead of them. That’s the aim.

“I don’t think you can ever look at a loss positively but we have to learn from this and we should learn from it. If we don’t then that will be a mistake. “It was really good to come up against a side like that. They’re a Champions League side really so to come up against them shows how far we’ve come from the beginning of last season and these are games we want to be winning and games we want to be fighting in, so there’s obviously still a lot to improve on.

“That’s what we play football for, to be challenging in every match and playing against the best teams in the world. It was nice to play against one of them this week and I’m looking forward to playing against more of them.”

While Tottenham’s European campaign is over for another season, they can now focus solely on their Premier League bid – but Dier has mixed feelings about the easier schedule.

“It could help us, it could hinder us,” he said. “Me personally, I quite enjoy playing midweek games. You get into a nice rhythm of non-stop matches, but at the same time obviously we’ll have a couple of extra days’ rest and we’ve got five or six-day weeks where we can rest, recover and then work on stuff on the training pitch, which we haven’t been able to do since probably before Christmas.”

Dier appeared to be holding his groin towards the end of Thursday’s game, which was his 45th match for club and country this season.

However, he insisted he was “fine” as he left the Lane and added: “I’m not tired, I’m enjoying it.

“I don’t think there’s any excuse to be tired. All I do is play football every day, I’m not doing anything else so there’s no reason for me to be tired. I’m enjoying every minute of it and you only play football for 10 years. There’s no point being tired for some of that.

“We’re all young, we’re all competitive and we work extremely hard on the training pitch to be as fit as possible and to prove it every weekend.”
 

Spurger King

can't smile without glue
Jul 22, 2008
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Very mature comments from Dier. Comes across as an old head on young shoulders.

Loving his enthusiasm for playing as many games as possible. Hopefully he'll be able to put that unspent kinetic energy into our remaining matches.
 

bomberH

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Jun 4, 2005
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Love him. It's weird that despite several high profile absentees during certain matches, Dier has never been captain. Lloris, Vertonghen, Kane, Mason and a couple of others (Rose and Walker I think?) have all been captain and even when the main 2 or 3 aren't playing, he hasn't been chosen. Has Toby for that matter?

Anyway, he does come across as overly chilled in the Spurs Official vids but he's the opposite on the pitch and doesn't give a fuck who he upsets, which is captain material really. Loved him giving it to Toure against City. Toure's face was like 'You can't do that to me, I'm Yaya Toure!'
 

lillywhites61

SC Supporter
Aug 11, 2009
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Great comments from him, a pleasure to hear such honest and refeshing views from a professional footballer. I really think the squad sees thi gs this way. Great to see it
 

DCSPUR

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Apr 15, 2005
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Just bought the Dier shirt being auctioned by the club for charity - that is close to my annual charity budget but amazing cause and love the player
 

YiddoInPoland

You got some statistical evidence to back that up?
Aug 6, 2011
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Along with Lamela he is a favourite, great ability, attitude and temperament.

Does goes to show what english kid with a european football education can be like too.
 

yusrisafri

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Jun 27, 2004
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Fast becoming my favourite player in the current squad.

Captain material. If he stays another 3 or 4 years he surely will be our captain
 

Japhet

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Aug 30, 2010
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Has had a huge season for us. Compare last season's goal difference to this season's and it shows what a massive impact he and Alderweireld have had. Has got a great attitude about supporting the players around him and taking absolutely no shit from anyone. He is definite future Captain material (along with Toby). Top bloke.
 

nicdic

Official SC Padre
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May 8, 2005
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Love him. It's weird that despite several high profile absentees during certain matches, Dier has never been captain. Lloris, Vertonghen, Kane, Mason and a couple of others (Rose and Walker I think?) have all been captain and even when the main 2 or 3 aren't playing, he hasn't been chosen. Has Toby for that matter?

Anyway, he does come across as overly chilled in the Spurs Official vids but he's the opposite on the pitch and doesn't give a fuck who he upsets, which is captain material really. Loved him giving it to Toure against City. Toure's face was like 'You can't do that to me, I'm Yaya Toure!'
I think Poch has tried to reward the longer serving players. Walker and Rose bizarrely are those in this squad, and so when Lloris, Vertonghen and Kane have been out, it's gone to them first. Mason got it when none of those were playing, and I can see the sense in that too. Think Dier could grow into a captain for us, but I don't think it will negatively affect his game if it doesn't happen. He plays like a leader.
 

davidmatzdorf

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Jun 7, 2004
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As I watched the match on Thursday, I thought I could actually see our players gradually adjusting to it being a learning experience for them, starting after Aubameyang's rocket went in. There were a couple of times Alli collected the ball in a promising position and his usual, hyper-confident body language went "right, I know what I'm going to do, I'm going to do this...", but by the time he got halfway through that, he'd been closed down and had the ball nicked off him. They don't close down like that in League One.

Dier had a calmer time of it, because Dortmund stopped pressing high up the pitch after they were 4-0 ahead, so he had time on the ball, but he also had a better view of what was being done, in terms of positioning, pace and closing-down, to prevent our attacking players from turning plenty of nice, skilful, creative passing moves into anything that resembled a chance. I hope the whole team took the same attitude as Dier: that this is what we are aspiring to, but they have a 5 year head start on us.
 

Gaz_Gammon

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Apr 16, 2005
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I'm a little bit at odds with people saying that Dortmund are a CL side? Did they play in the competition this season?
 

JUSTINSIGNAL

Well-Known Member
Jul 10, 2008
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Thought it was just the EL?

Nah, they played CL group stages but got knocked out. They had a dodgy season under Klopp after struggling to adjust to losing Lewandowski and therefore didn't qualify for CL this year. They are back up to CL level now though and Augeberang has clearly grown into Lewandowski's role.
 

Gaz_Gammon

Well-Known Member
Apr 16, 2005
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Just read your question again - thought you meant last season

Anyway, they are still CL level just had one dodgy season last season


Third team in that League some 16 points behind Dortmund. Hardly a challenging league. Just like La Liga really two teams and the rest cannon fodder.
 
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