Supporters of Tottenham Hotspur have been reacting to a report which recently emerged regarding Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld.
According to a recent report by Football Insider, Jose Mourinho has ‘made up his mind’ to avoid a centre-back pairing of the Englishman and the Belgian.
Despite being a ‘big admirer’ of both players, the Portuguese manager will be avoiding playing the two together ‘at all costs’.
That is supposedly due to the fact that he believes the two players do not possess enough pace to be able to play alongside one another, making the partnership a ‘last resort’.
This report was relayed to social media by Last Word On Spurs and it had lots of Tottenham fans talking.
So, what did these Spurs fans have to say about the report on Toby Alderweireld and Eric Dier?
?[@FootyInsider247] | Tottenham Hotspur head coach Jose Mourinho and his coaching staff are avoiding at all costs playing Eric Dier & Toby Alderweireld in the same team due to their lack of pace.
?The defensive partnership is now very much seen as the last resort.#THFC #COYS pic.twitter.com/xCK15zhj7F
— Last Word On Spurs (@LastWordOnSpurs) October 23, 2020
I think both are finished tbh. Sanchez, Tanganga and Rodon are all younger, quicker and can still improve. If you add Skriniar there is no place for either Dier or Toby in the squad.
— Corey Albone (@cwalbone) October 23, 2020
strange, i thought they were our best partnership lol
— Dan (@gfxkwake_) October 23, 2020
So far this season, Dier has featured in four of Spurs’ five Premier League fixtures while Alderweireld has made an appearance in just two of them (per WhoScored).
Neither player has bagged either a goal or an assist in the league so far.
Of the two players, who would you rather see starting for Spurs?
Alderweireld
Dier
If this is true I’m not surprised
— Theo (@Vinicius_45THFC) October 23, 2020
I miss Jan.
— Serena (@Shina_Star23) October 23, 2020
We need tanganga back!!
— TheFootyCafe (@TheFootyCafe) October 23, 2020
Of the two players, the Belgian defender has delivered the better average rating in the top flight so far this season as he has earned a 6.62/10 over his two outings.
Dier, meanwhile, has performed marginally worse in his four appearances as he has delivered a 6.52/10 average rating.
Don’t know if I believe the reportage but I’ve been saying just that this season, Toby has lost a yard and Dier’s injuries and illnesses have definitely affected his pace. Anyone know if Rodon is quick? Such a pity Tanganga is injured.
— Jill Lewis (@jilllewis33) October 23, 2020
I’d like to see Japhet alongside Toby
— BuffaloJoe’s (@Buffalo__joes) October 23, 2020
As can be seen in these responses from Spurs supporters, many of them seemed to agree with the suggestion that Dier and Alderweireld are too slow to play alongside one another.