Tottenham Hotspur’s Eric Dier was sacrificed by Jose Mourinho last night.
Jose Mourinho has only been Tottenham Hotspur boss for a week and he has already pulled a masterstroke.
On Tuesday night, Eric Dier was hauled off after 29 minutes of Spurs’ 4-2 Champions League win over Olympiacos, when Mourinho’s side were losing 2-0.
As the scoreline suggests, it was a brilliant decision by the Tottenham boss, even if it was utterly ruthless. But that wasn’t the masterstroke.
By hooking Dier within half-an-hour, Mourinho has set a very strong precedent.
Starting a game and being subbed in the first half for tactical reasons is a footballer’s worst nightmare and now the Tottenham boys have a head coach who will make that a reality if necessary, one who doesn’t care about humiliating them if it benefits the team.
This is a Lilywhites squad that were 14th in the Premier League table prior to Mourinho’s arrival.
Many of them – including Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli – had been posting sub-par performances under Mauricio Pochettino, but Dier’s indignity last night should make everyone raise their game as a result.
No Tottenham player is going to want the Dier treatment and for the first time in years there is a fear factor, tangible and humiliating repercussions for not playing well.
What Mourinho did worked on the night, but it could also set the tone for his reign in North London.
There is very clearly a zero tolerance policy in regards to sub-standard starts to a football match.
Dier’s confidence might be affected by what happened last night, but if it makes his team-mates raise their game in fear of suffering the same fate then it’s worth it in Mourinho’s eyes.
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