Kevin Wimmer recently came out and said he was unhappy with his amount of game time this season but was ready to step up given the opportunity in the cup matches or if injury struck.
Well, unfortunately our stand out defender Toby Alderweireld picked up a heavy knock at the weekend and will be ruled out for the first time since we signed him. This could present the perfect opportunity for Wimmer.
However, Wimmer is a left sided CB. Last season when he came in for Vertonghen it was a like for like swap and Wimmer fitted in well on the left side. It’s understood that Pochettino is not a fan of playing a left footed player on the right side of the centre back pairing – and therefore could opt for Eric Dier.
Cameron Carter-Vickers is deemed too young and inexperienced to throw into Champions League games – Pochettino described it as “difficult” to play him in these games. That leaves a fight between Dier and Wimmer.
Dier started his career playing in the Spurs defence at CB but since Alderweireld joined Dier has very rarely featured in the back 4. That being said he seems like the favoured option for Pochettino – given the managers comments:
“The important thing is we trust in him. It’s not important the position he will play. But midfield, centre back or full back we believe and trust in him,
“For me, Eric is a player who can develop his game in different positions.”
The thoughts behind playing Dier over Wimmer is not based on defensive ability. It is based mainly on ability on the ball and playing out from the back. Bayer Leverkusen are known to press high and make it difficult for defenders and as a result we are likely to see Dier play tonight.
