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7 bold Tottenham season predictions

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 26: Harry Kane (R) of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring the opening goal with Erik Lamela during the Barclays Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Norwich City at White Hart Lane on December 26, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 26: Harry Kane (R) of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring the opening goal with Erik Lamela during the Barclays Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Norwich City at White Hart Lane on December 26, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images) /
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SAINT-ETIENNE, FRANCE - JUNE 20: Eric Dier of England in action during the UEFA EURO 2016 Group B match between Slovakia and England at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on June 20, 2016 in Saint-Etienne, France. (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)
SAINT-ETIENNE, FRANCE – JUNE 20: Eric Dier of England in action during the UEFA EURO 2016 Group B match between Slovakia and England at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on June 20, 2016 in Saint-Etienne, France. (Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images) /

3. Eric Dier will struggle

I love the way Eric Dier plays football and consider him an integral part of the Tottenham squad. However, he experienced a pretty charmed season last year and I think he’s prone to come back down to Earth this year.

The simple truth is that Dier played too much football during the past 12 months. He only missed one Premier League match for Tottenham, and featured heavily in England’s Euro 2016 debacle. He’s going to need some rest this year if he’s going to continue his career ascension.

Fortunately, Pochettino has a legitimate option to deploy in the midfield in Dier’s place this year. Victor Wanyama is a very similar player to Dier both in terms of style and quality. He may not be as much fun on social media, but he’s another destroyer on the pitch.

My prediction is that Dier will go through a real lull at some point during the year and Wanyama will grab a significant portion of his playing time. That won’t signal a long-term changing of the guard at Spurs, but it will lead to some growing pains for the young English midfielder.

Next: 4. Ryan Mason will change positions

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