Troy Deeney has now told Antonio Conte that ‘costly errors’ from Hugo Lloris and Eric Dier make Tottenham Hotspur ‘unconvincing’. He claims the pair leave Spurs weak at the back.
Tottenham have been without Lloris for their past seven matches with a knee injury. It is set to sideline the goalkeeper until, likely, after the March international break. He is expected to miss at least six weeks with the injury the 36-year-old sustained at the start of February.
Fraser Forster has guarded the Spurs net in place of the Frenchman and will stand in again on Saturday. Tottenham will host Nottingham Forest in the Premier League and Conte will likely also start Dier at centre-back. He has started 23 of Spurs’ 26 top-flight fixtures so far.
Dier and Lloris are among Conte’s most important players at Tottenham
Conte was without Dier against AC Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday for the second leg of their last 16 tie. The 29-year-old could not add to his seven starts through a one-match ban. He had earned a third yellow card in the competition during the first leg.
Conte has only handed Harry Kane (2,328) and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (2,233) more minutes than Dier (2,095) in the Premier League. While Lloris ranks in fourth with 1,890, despite his injury denying him a potential 360 so far. He had only sat out one fixture before the blow.
Lloris did not play at Brentford on Boxing Day having lost in the World Cup final just a week earlier. But Spurs’ No1 endured a frustrating start to his 2023 after mistakes against Aston Villa, Arsenal and Manchester City. He also admitted to feeling short of ‘mental freshness’.
The Frenchman spilt Douglas Luiz’s long-range attempt for Ollie Watkins to set up Emiliano Buendia. He then spilt Bukayo Saka’s cross over the line in the north London derby. He also only flapped at a loose ball for Julian Alvarez’s strike and Riyad Mahrez hit as his near post.
What has Deeney said about Dier and Lloris making Spurs a weaker side?
Deeney has now told Conte that the regular mistakes Dier and Lloris have committed leave Tottenham a weaker side. He believes that despite their importance, they guarantee goals.
“The spine of this Spurs team is unconvincing,” Deeney claimed in his column for The Sun. “When fit, Hugo Lloris is still the No1 keeper and we know he is going to chuck a few goals in every season. Likewise, Eric Dier in central defence – he makes too many costly errors.”
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