While Spurs took down Brighton in the fourth round of the FA Cup, there was a notable omission from the team sheet.
Centre-back Eric Dier was absent from the match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after picking up a small knock last month.
Dier was also absent for four of Spurs’ matches in January (Transfermarkt) and, according to manager Antonio Conte, putting him on the pitch was not deemed a necessary risk.
He said (Football London): “It was a pity for Eric Dier because yesterday he had a little problem and the medical department decided not to take a risk.”
Even without Dier, Tottenham won the match 3-1, led by a backline of Davinson Sanchez, Cristian Romero, and Ben Davies to reach the fifth round stage of the FA Cup.
Antonio Conte will be looking forward to finally getting all of his defenders fit for the Premier League run-in, allowing him to field a rare first-choice backline.
Spurs Web Opinion:
It was the right thing to hold Dier out, especially since it was an FA Cup match and further injury could have made it more difficult for Spurs to secure a Champions League spot.
With a home match on Wednesday against Southampton, it will be interesting to see if Dier will be fit enough to start or at least see some minutes as he tries to get fit after some nagging injuries of late.
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