Dier demands a Real effort now
ERIC DIER has ordered Tottenham to use Real Madrid as their inspiration and fight their way out of their tightest Champions League corner yet.
Spurs face PSV Eindhoven tonight knowing anything but a win will almost certainly end their hopes this season.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side have lost their opening two games in this campaign, to Inter Milan and Barcelona, and defeat against in-form Eredivisie leaders PSV would leave them teetering on the brink of the Europa League.
Since 2003-04, out of 41 sides who have taken zero points from three Champions League group games, none have reached the knockout stages. Last season though, Real and then manager Zinedine Zidane were under pressure halfway through their group stage after dropping four points to Spurs but recovered to win their final two games – and then went on to win the competition.
Dier said: “We can learn from what happened with Real last season in our group. I’m not saying we’re going to get out of the group and win the Champions League. Or that we are Real Madrid.
“But Real had a very difficult time to get out of our group last year. And then they ended up going on to win it. The most important thing for us is to stay calm and to keep believing that it’s possible.”
Under new coach Mark van Bommel, PSV have won all nine of their league games this year with a goal difference of plus 33.
But Spurs are also in good form, having won their last four Premier League games, and Pochettino wants his players to embrace the pressure, saying: “My approach is that every game is a must-win game. I don’t believe the players will feel any different.”
Dier added: “Our league form has been good but playing in Europe is completely different. That’s no excuse for what’s happened to us so far in the Champions League. We have to win every game. That’s the mentality now. We are in a position where our backs are up against the wall.
“We are going to have to try to get ourselves out of it.”
Dier said, though, that the problems Spurs have had this season, with the new stadium delay, no summer signings, injuries to key players and virtually no pre-season for many who were at the World Cup, have in fact pulled the squad together.
He said: “You can either let these things knock you and take them in a negative way, or you can use them to push you forward. That’s what we’ve done so far and that’s what we’ll continue to do.”
For PSV, also on no points, it is do or die as well and former Dutch World Cup hero Van Bommel said: “If you lose it’s almost over.
“You can see that Tottenham under Pochettino have an identity. When they come back from their national teams to Spurs they play with Pochettino’s signature.
“He gives the players all they need to play. They had problems but they have a lot of weapons to win games.”