Tottenham defender Eric Dier has hailed the impact of manager Antonio Conte as they stand on the brink of Champions League qualification.

They were ninth when he took over in November. Since then, only City and Liverpool have taken more points than Spurs. So just what has he changed?

"Everything," says Dier. "From the moment he came in, he changed everything. There's a different work ethic in the building. There's a different discipline in the building. He has incredible experience. You feed off his personality, off his confidence in his work, off his beliefs in how he wants things done.

"Training is 100 per cent, meetings are 100 per cent, matches are 100 per cent. But what surprised me, because of the narrative that everyone creates around him, is that outside of that, he's very approachable. It's easy to speak with him. He likes to have a laugh.

"Work is work, but outside of that it's different. As a player, that's something very enjoyable to work under. To come in and work at the intensity we do, for me it's enjoyable."