Eric Dier believes Tottenham Hotspur have applied the lesson in ruthlessness they learned from Chelsea in last season’s Capital One Cup final. Dier maintains Spurs were the better team in the Wembley game but he concedes Chelsea, who closed out a 2-0 win, had the know-how.
The teams will renew acquaintances in the Premier League at White Hart Lane on Sunday, and it is remarkable how the status of each has changed.
Tottenham are unbeaten in the league since the opening day of the season, they have come to believe a Champions League finish could be a realistic target and they start the derby as the favourites. Chelsea, by contrast, are enduring a torrid title defence and languish in 15th place. They have, however, won three of their past four fixtures in all competitions.
Dier feels that a big step on the learning curve for what is a young Tottenham team came in that cup final last March.
“I personally learned a lot that day and I think everyone else did,” Dier said. “Chelsea were very impressive that day because I think we were the better side but they just knew how to win.
“You could tell they had a lot of experienced players who have played a lot of games and won a lot of trophies, and they knew how to win, how to grind out a result. But I think we’ve proved that we’ve learned from that this season and we’ve ground out results ourselves.”
Dier highlighted Thursday’s 1-0 win over Qarabag in Baku, which ensured Tottenham’s qualification to the Europa League last 32, as a case in point, although the Chelsea game promises to be even more of a test – not least on a physical level.
Dier and his team-mates landed back in London at 4am on Friday and they had the day off to recover. They will go through a light tactical session at the training ground on Saturday but there has been disquiet voiced by the manager, Mauricio Pochettino, at the timing of Sunday’s kick-off. It has been given a noon slot because of the demands of TV companies. Pochettino’s likely XI will feature eight players who started against Qarabag, including Dier.
“It was a tough trip to Baku but we’ve handled it well and we’re delighted to get three points,” Dier said. “The key for Chelsea is to do everything right, behind closed doors. We need to eat well, sleep well, recover and do the right things. We have great facilities so we need to use them. If we do everything right, then we will be ready for Sunday.
“Chelsea have had a tough time but it doesn’t matter because they have such a great side and they are the champions. We will have to be at our best. It was a special game when we beat them 5-3 at home on New Year’s Day last season and we kicked on from that. Hopefully, this game can have the same effect for us.”
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