Antonio Conte talks about the prospect of playing Eric Dier in the Tottenham Hotspur midfield
As Tottenham Hotspur gear up for their Champions League round of 16 clash against AC Milan, the question on everyone’s lips is who will start in midfield for the Londoners considering the unfortunate spate of injuries they have suffered in recent weeks.
Yves Bissouma has been out for a while now due to an ankle injury. Rodrigo Bentancur ruptured his ACL over the weekend against Leicester City and is set to be out for the rest of the season.
To make matters worse, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has been suspended for the clash tonight and this has left Tottenham scrambling for options in midfield. Oliver Skipp and Pape Matar-Sarr are the only midfield options in the squad.
Ahead of the game, Conte talked in the pre-match press conference as quoted by Football. London about the prospect of playing Eric Dier in midfield, a position he has not played in for a while.
“For sure we did not have the time to take into consideration also this option. Rodrigo had an injury two days ago and for this reason to take also another option, to think of another option… the time was so short to prepare this game that I did not think of another solution.”
Conte’s words show that he is concerned about the fitness of his midfielders and is not willing to take risks. While Eric Dier used to be a natural midfielder, he has not played in that position for a while, and Conte is hesitant to throw him in at the deep end.
“We have the solution in our house, with the two young players, Skippy and Pape Sarr. You know we are talking about two young players, their first game in Champions League, they are really young – 20 and 22-years-old”
Conte’s decision to rely on the youth in Oliver Skipp and Pape Sarr shows that he trusts in the talent that Tottenham has in its ranks. Skipp was very impressive last season and has filled in well in the absence of key midfielders in the past.
He has shown maturity beyond his years and has been praised by his manager for his performance. Sarr on the other hand has seen his prominence increase in 2023 and he has a lot of talent.
Conte’s words show that he is well aware of the challenges that lie ahead for Tottenham. With a packed fixture list and injuries to key players, the Spurs manager knows that he needs to have a strong midfield to compete on all fronts.
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Hojbjerg should be back soon but tonight is a great opportunity for Skipp and Sarr. Let’s hope they step up and make this a very memorable night as a Tottenham fan.
