Tottenham v Juventus: 5 harsh lessons learned by Spurs

6 of 6

LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 07: Blaise Matuidi of Juventus jumps over Eric Dier of Tottenham Hotspur during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus at Wembley Stadium on March 7, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images) /

1. Eric Dier must improve or leave

We’ve reached a real crucial point in Eric Dier’s career. It’s time for him to either fulfill his significant potential or play his football somewhere else.

He was just too slow to play in a match. Juventus have a wealth of talented, quick attackers. Dier looked completely unable to cope with them during his time on the pitch.

Perhaps he needs to move back to centre back but that doesn’t seem to be something he’s willing to do. Tottenham can no longer rely on him to play as a defensive midfielder against elite opponents.

Next: Tottenham want to raid Leverkusen again

Spurs fans have hoped Dier was mired in a run of poor form, but it’s gone on too long now to believe it will just magically change one day. Dier must raise his level of play for the rest of the year if he wants to stick with Tottenham for the long haul. I have serious doubts over whether or not he’s mentally and/or physically capable of making that happen.

Home/Tottenham Hotspur