Eric Dier has admitted that he is loving life under Jose Mourinho and that the Portuguese coach is helping to bring the best out of him in defence.
The 26-year-old has been given a new lease of life at centre-half and he has repaid the faith Mourinho has shown him by putting in consistently dominant displays in the backline.
Dier, who has committed himself to Tottenham until 2024, is now available for selection for Tottenham’s final game of the season against Crystal Palace after serving his four-match suspension.
Speaking ahead of the game at Selhurst Park, Dier raved about what the Spurs boss has done for both his game and confidence.
He told Sky Sports: “Mourinho has already been fantastic with me, putting his faith in me to play at centre-back, and it’s been fantastic to work with him and put more focus on that position.
“You’ve seen what Mourinho has done with players in that position in the past, great players. I’m really enjoying working with him, he’s constantly pushing me, and I cannot wait to keep working on that.
“I am really enjoying his man-management, not only with me but what I see with others around me.”
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The defender admitted that the players are determined to carry on their good home form into next season make the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium a fortress, while also improving their performances away from home.
Dier said: “Obviously, there is going to be a bit of a settling in period when you move, we had the same at Wembley. A lot was talked about Wembley but we ended up having a pretty good record there as well.
“With the manager, I know with his previous clubs that his home record is something he prides himself on. We need to continue that but also improve a lot away from home because that’s where we’ve really been disappointing.”
The England international admitted that he is extremely excited about what the team can achieve next season, on the back of what has been a campaign full of challenges and setbacks.
He added: “Our focus is business-like on Palace right now but I cannot wait for next season, I am so excited.
“I’m excited to have a pre-season under the manager, I’m excited to have a clean slate in terms of the table with the new coaching staff and some of the new players who arrived in January.
“It’s been a really difficult season for so many reasons. After the high of getting to the Champions League final, giving all of your energy towards something and then missing out, everyone was exhausted because they had given everything.
“Then, going into the new season, we have to look at ourselves as players and no one else because it really wasn’t good enough for a period of time. We rallied at certain times but then we had massive setbacks, and not only that but changes, with the new manager coming in.
“Then we had four or five big injuries, then the coronavirus, so it’s just been one of those seasons. All football clubs go through cycles and I feel like this season was that for us. The most important thing now is that we learn from this season the right way, take those lessons into next season and do better.”
Spurs Web Opinion
There are clear signs since the restart that Jose is shaping the team to be ruthless in both offensive and defensive transitions. While the style of football is not to everybody’s liking, it is certainly proving to be effective at the moment. It remains to be seen if we can get results consistently to keep pace with the top sides while playing the way we currently do.
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