Tottenham Hotspur have been flying this season but have now fallen to successive defeats in the Premier League after going ten matches without losing in the opening phase under new manager Ange Postecoglou.

Despite this, it's fair to say that there has been a resounding turnaround given the malaise that had crept in last season, with Antonio Conte's dismissal in March preceding a lumber to eighth place and the summer departure of Harry Kane, the club's record goalscorer.

Postecoglou has put a clear emphasis on bringing talented academy players to the fore – also a clear trend from his Celtic days -and given that Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero are among the raft of absentees at present due to injury and suspension respectively, teen titan Alfie Dorrington might now be deserving of a chance, with Eric Dier not cutting the mustard.

Eric Dier's statistics this season

Since Postecoglou's Tottenham squad started competing in the Premier League this season, it's been perfectly clear that Dier is not in the 58-year-old's plans, having failed to earn a single minute before disaster struck against Chelsea.

The £85k-per-week defender's contract is also up for expiry at the end of the season, and while he has been called upon of late, it is unlikely that terms will be agreed for renewal.

That being said, he did perform admirably off the bench against Chelsea – who had a two-man advantage but failed to break down the compact Spurs defence until the later stage of the match-winning 100% of his duels, making three clearances and one interception, as per Sofascore.

The home loss against Chelsea was followed up by a defeat at Molineux against Wolverhampton Wanderers, having led for most of the match before a late double sank the visitors and piled on more misery.

While Dier wasn't objectively bad in that game, he didn't assert himself or slot into Postecoglou's system as neatly as Van de Ven or Romero.

Writing in his post-match ratings, the Evening Standard's Dan Kilpatrick did note one excellent piece of defensive play, but lamented Dier's fault for the Old Gold goals, handing him a 5/10 match score and saying: 'Made a crucial tackle on Matheus Cunha as the midfielder prepared to shoot from close-range but both goals came from midfield runners not being tracked.'

As such, Dorrington, who is aged only 18, must now be provided with his senior debut in a golden opportunity to prove his worth among the seniors, continuing the transformation.

How Alfie Dorrington compares to Eric Dier

Dorrington has now completed 74 matches for the Lilywhites' respective youth sides and will have built much experience at the heart of a successful youth crop in preparation for a time such as this, when injuries might call for his involvement.

Dorrington might only be 18-years-old but he is considered one of the finest defensive prospects of his age group and has even been described as a "real talent" by football.london's Alasdair Gold.

Not only is Dier not the ball-playing presence at the back to fit Postecoglou's system, but he is also not the most robust and reliable in the backline, ranking among the bottom 14% of centre-halfs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for tackles and the bottom 20% for interceptions per 90, as per FBref.

Given that Tottenham shipped 63 goals in the Premier League last season – a tally bettering only the relegated trio and newly-promoted teams Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest – Dier's output is hardly the stuff of solidity to have stemmed the flow.

And having started 31 matches in the Premier League last year, it's safe to say that he had ample opportunity to pump some resilience into the leaky backline.

He had even been branded a "liability" by writer Mitch Fretton, and while he has been something of a stalwart for the Lilywhites since signing from Sporting Lisbon for £4m in 2014, making 362 appearances, it certainly seems that his ship has now sailed.

Dorrington, in comparison, has been labelled a 'commanding' defender by Spurs' official website, having performed with composure and strength in age-belying style, and is now likely to make his senior debut in the coming months after earning a place on the bench against Wolves.

Last season, it was said that Dier was "nowhere near the required level", now, Postecoglou has instilled confidence and cohesion into the side, and Dier must now be ditched, opening the door for Dorrington to start earning his stripes.