Tottenham not out of Premier League title race, says Eric Dier
Tuesday 14 February 2017 20:41, UK
Eric Dier has refuted suggestions Tottenham Hotspur are "timid" after failing to close the gap on Premier League leaders Chelsea.
Spurs suffered a 2-0 defeat away at Liverpool on Saturday, meaning they fell 10 points behind Chelsea despite the Blues only managing a draw against Burnley on Sunday.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher questioned whether Spurs' players have the "mentality" to beat the top-flight's biggest clubs on their turf, having won just once in 15 away games against the other teams currently in the Premier League top six.
However, Dier - who was part of the Spurs side that finished third last season after a late season collapse as Leicester won the title - insists the defeat to Liverpool is not a true reflection on their title credentials.
"I don't think you can say this is a timid team, especially in the position we were in last year and what we did last year," Dier told Sky Sports News HQ following a Q&A with One Hotspur Junior Members at Tottenham's Enfield training base.
"I don't think you could call us timid. We definitely weren't in the right frame of mind and didn't have the right attitude on Saturday. So everyone is very disappointed about that and it doesn't sit well with us."
Asked if this season's title race is over for Spurs, Dier added: "You never know in the Premier League, obviously Chelsea are doing very well and are in a good position but you can never say never.
"We've always maintained we're going to give everything in the competition, so you never know what can happen. It will be a very tough task."
Spurs now play three games in eight days before returning to Premier League action on February 26 against Stoke City, with Mauricio Pochettino's side facing a two-leg Europa League tie against AA Gent as well as an FA Cup fifth-round trip to Fulham.
Tottenham's poor finish to last season was put partly down to tiredness after another long European campaign, but Dier insists Spurs will not let up in any competition this time around.
"No I don't think so, we've got a very good squad of players, I think everyone trusts in each other," said Dier.
"I think we're in every competition to try and go as far as possible and I think that's the mentality and attitude we've got to build. The Europa League, the FA Cup, the Premier League we're going to go into every game no matter who is playing wanting to win it."
