JOSE MOURINHO will give a vote of confidence to Eric Dier by including him in his starting XI against Bournemouth today.
The new Tottenham boss caused a major shock on Tuesday when he substituted the England international – bringing on Christian Eriksen after just 29 minutes of the Champions League match against Olympiakos.
Jose Mourinho will start Eric Dier vs Bournemouth as he tries to make amends to the midfielder for hooking him early against Olympiakos
Spurs were 2-0 down at the time but battled back to win 4-2.
But a source close to Mourinho confirmed Dier was in the the Portuguese coach’s team to face Bournemouth at White Hart Lane.
He stressed Mourinho was a big fan of the player, who can play in defence or as a holding midfielder.
After the match on Tuesday, Mourinho went to great lengths to explain his treatment of Dier was nothing personal.
Mourinho said: “The most difficult moment of the game was not when they scored the first two goals, it was when I made the change in the first half.”
“It hurt the player but also myself. It’s not easy for him or me.
“It’s important that the player understands, and I was lucky my choice was a very intelligent boy who has very good understanding of what the team is, because I did it for the team.
“It was not about his performance, but what the team needs.
“We are losing 2-0, in a very difficult situation in that moment, and I felt that one positional midfield player was enough.
“I thought I needed a second creative player who could play with Dele Alli in what I call an open triangle, and not with a closed triangle with two deeper midfielders.
“I apologise to Eric, but he knows I did it for the team and not to hurt him. I think the fans understood too.”
Jose Mourinho says he would not swap the Spurs manager’s job for any other in the world
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
