Tottenham midfielder Eric Dier believes that it’s a good thing for the club that losing two games in succession is considered a crisis.
It was not so long ago that Spurs were considered to be Premier League outsiders, but Maurcio Pochettino has established a team that is now expected to challenge for silverware on multiple fronts.
Having reached the Champions League final last season, Spurs have made a comparatively disappointing start to the new campaign, lying ninth in the Premier League and reeling after a poor beginning in the European competition, which saw them draw 2-2 with Olympiacos and lose 7-2 against Bayern Munich.
Following that heavy home defeat to the Bavarians, Pochettino’s side slumped to a 3-0 loss against Brighton and with the critics circling, Dier says that it is important his team “embrace” a situation they have been chasing for years.
“The main thing is we’ve been working all together – okay, some people have gone, some people have come in - but working all together over the last five years to get to the point where this is the conversation when you lose two games on the trot,” the 25-year-old told his club’s official website.
“We’ve wanted to get to the point where we are considered a team that if you lose two games like that, you come in for a lot of criticism. Now, we have to embrace the situation.
“We’ve got to this point and now we need to... as I said to the press after the Brighton game, we can’t back down, we need to push forward, push through it, fight through it, everyone together.”
Dier is itching to get back in action after the disappointment of losing to Brighton, with a home match to follow against Watford on Saturday.
“To be honest, after Brighton, I wanted to play again the next day,” he explained. “It’s never nice going into an international break on that note and having to wait this long.
“At the same time, it gives you time to settle and put your emotions in the right place. Hopefully that’s what we’ll do, and we can all push through this as a club.”
Spurs are rumoured to be considering Jose Mourinho as a potential replacement for Pochettino, who has been in charge of the London side since 2014.