Manchester United vs Tottenham: Mauricio Pochettino take note - Eric Dier must be given a chance in midfield

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Danny Murphy27 October 2017

We have to assume that Mauricio Pochettino discussed the contents of his book with his players prior to publication, because his views about Eric Dier - in particular - make for very interesting reading.

I’ve always received calls or emails from former team-mates or managers before they release a book, highlighting the sections that involve me.

Talking generally and not referring to Pochettino in particular, a manager puts himself in a difficult position if he writes certain things about a current player without letting him know first.

He would risk making them angry, when he needs them on his side. The player would be within his rights to put his side of the story out there, potentially causing problems for the group.

I must say I’m amazed Pochettino believes Dier to be a better defender than a midfielder. He works with him every day, but Dier was sensational when he played in midfield during the 2015-16 season, and did well for England at Euro 2016 that summer.

Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty I

When he moved into midfield, I was surprised by how good his passing was. He is comfortable on the ball and he is quite creative. He is not super quick, but that is rarely exposed in midfield, especially when he has powerful, athletic players around him.

After the way he played two seasons ago, it was no surprise that Manchester United expressed a strong interest in signing him, and it will be interesting to see how he plays at Old Trafford if he is given a chance.

In defence, it is a different story; I certainly wouldn’t want to see Dier isolated against the best forwards in the league.

Dier is right to want to nail down one position. While it is good to be versatile as it gets you lots of different opportunities, ultimately a player wants to get used to a role within a team - and for Dier, that should be in central midfield.

I doubt the Carabao Cup defeat by West Ham will have any effect on Tottenham’s momentum, but I was interested to hear Pochettino say that winning one of the domestic cups would not make much of a difference to Tottenham.

In some ways, he’s right. If Tottenham reach the semi-finals of the Champions League, that would be a greater achievement than winning the Carabao Cup.

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Yet when Spurs have won only one trophy this century, can they really afford to do this?

Pochettino is an outstanding coach, one of the best around - but Jose Mourinho has won 25 trophies.

Pochettino has still to get off the mark and he needs to change that soon.

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