Eric Dier has been speaking to The Times about working under Mauricio Pochettino and revealed that he once shocked Diego Costa when he responded to the striker in Portuguese.
Dier was one of the first signings of the Mauricio Pochettino era and in many ways, the Englishman personified the Argentine’s time at the club.
Pochettino was successful in moulding a team full of young, hungry players into a ruthlessly competitive outfit, with the defender being central to the revolution, playing as a right-back, midfielder and centre-back at various times.
Dier referred to the former Spurs boss as a ‘great manager’ and backed him to come good at Chelsea, pointing out that his first season at White Hart Lane was just as challenging.
The Bayern Munich star said about working with Pochettino: “We were a very young team, he gave us all great fundamentals in the way that we play.
“If you look at his first season at Tottenham [2014-15] it was similar to this season at Chelsea; we got to the final of the League Cup, had an OK year in the Premier League [fifth]. It takes time. It’s a difficult situation. He’s a great manager.”
Eric Dier loved Tottenham vs Chelsea fixtures
Pochettino’s Spurs side had a fantastic battle with Antonio Conte’s Chelsea side in the 2016-17 season, with the Blues eventually pipping the Lilywhites to the title.
The rivalry between the two London sides was particularly intense during that time and Dier admitted that he enjoyed coming up against the likes of Diego Costa, revealing how he shocked the centre-forward by responding to his insult in Portuguese.
The 30-year-old added: “I love playing against characters like Diego Costa. It’s a source of motivation for me. It’s a shame you’re getting fewer and fewer characters in the game.
“Costa said something in Portuguese not very nice, I replied in Portuguese and he just looked at me with complete confusion on his face.
“Lots of people don’t know that’s where I grew up, especially foreign players. There’s a general consensus that I just came through Tottenham’s academy.”
Spurs Web Opinion
While it was under Pochettino that Dier had his best moments in a Tottenham shirt, it is worth wondering what might have happened if the Argentine had not converted him into a central midfiedler.
Perhaps if Dier had continued learning the ropes as a centre-back at that young age, he could have evolved into more of a complete defender.
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