Monaco boss Sebastien Pocognoli has spoken about what Eric Dier is feeling after being ruled out of the clash against Tottenham this evening.
When the Champions League fixtures were released, Dier would have circled 22 October in his calendar as he was set to take on Tottenham in a competitive fixture for the first time in his career.
The centre-back spent just short of a decade at N17 and made 365 appearances for the Lilywhites before finally exiting in January of last year.
Dier has emerged as the leader of Monaco’s backline since his summer switch and would have wanted to prove a point to his former employers, particularly given the intense criticism levelled at him during his final few years at Spurs.
Eric Dier is disappointed not to take on Tottenham
However, Dier has been ruled out of this evening’s clash due to an injury, which comes as a big blow to the Ligue 1 side.
The former Tottenham man was key to Monaco salvaging a draw against Man City earlier this month, and Monaco manager boss Sebastien Pocognoli has now admitted that the defender is disappointed that he will not take to the field tonight.
When asked how Dier is feeling about missing the Spurs game, the new Monaco head coach told Sky Sports: “Actually, it was more general disappointment to be injured because I felt he really wanted to start the journey with me on the weekend.
“He was really upset with the injury. For sure, it is deeply disappointing for him that he misses the game against Tottenham, but we didn’t discuss this.”
Spurs are also without a key defender and a leader
It is not just Monaco who will be missing their most experienced defender, with Tottenham also having travelled to France without a key man.
Cristian Romero has been ruled out of Spurs’ clash against Monaco, with the Argentine currently suffering from an adductor strain.
However, Thomas Frank has indicated that it is not a serious issue for the Tottenham captain, who does not have the best of fitness records over recent years.