DIER AND HIGHER

Spurs are facing small fry in Europe when we should be taking on the game’s powerhouses, claims Eric

ERIC DIER claims Spurs should be above the Europa Conference League but admitted they have let standards slip.

The Londoners reached the Champions League final only two years ago but are now facing minnows like Slovenian no-hopers Mura in Europe’s thirdtier competition.

The England international, who won his last cap almost a year ago, is adamant that, while boss Nuno Espirito

Santo has come under fire, the players must take their share of the blame for Tottenham’s disappointing start to the season.

The 27-year-old revealed that Spurs stars had a meeting after the thrashing by Arsenal 10 days ago and that was behind their improved performance in the 2-1 defeat of Aston Villa on Sunday.

Nuno’s men have so far met Rennes and Mura in the Europa Conference League and, after the international break, travel to Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem. It’s a far cry from taking on Liverpool in the Champions League final in Madrid in 2019, after earlier getting past Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City and Ajax.

Dier said: “No disrespect to the Conference League but we need to be playing above that. That’s what we should be striving towards.

“Most managers, especially the top managers, look at themselves first. As players, we have to do that as well. We had to look at ourselves after the Arsenal game. That was one of our messages before the Villa game, that we needed a reaction, we needed to prove to ourselves that we’re a lot better than what we showed against Arsenal.”

Dier (above) admitted that the storm clouds that gathered over the club were because performances, particularly against Arsenal, were simply not good enough. “It’s the players who need to show that reaction because it’s up to the players to perform,” said Dier. “There are levels that you can’t drop below and we definitely dropped below them against Arsenal. That has nothing to do with the manager.

“But it’s still early days. Our performance against Villa was probably our best of the season and that shows a reaction from the players.”

Dier warned Spurs fans that their stylish, attacking brand of football may have to take a back seat in the short term, with results the top priority. “Results are always going to be the most important thing for a team, whatever style you play,” said Dier.

“Obviously we want to be winning football matches and playing good football, like we did against Villa.

“But we’re just at the beginning of a new phase, a new manager. It’s still early and those things take time to implement.”

SPURFECT RESPONSE Tottenham were able to celebrate again after beating Aston Villa on Sunday