Eric Dier Turns Tottenham Success into England Debut
By Ryan Wrenn
Eric Dier had featured in four other tiers of England’s youth setup, but it took his exceptional form at Tottenham this season to earn him his first cap with England on Friday night when he was subbed on in the 63rd minute with his Spurs teammate Dele Alli.
When news broke November 5th that England coach Roy Hodgson had included Dier in his plans for this international break’s two friendly matches against Spain and France, it felt overdue. Dier had been among the standout English players in the Premier League so far this season. His unflashy, no-nonsense approach in Tottenham’s midfield is exactly what Hodgson’s England team have lacked, particularly against bigger sides who might try to take the game to an often brittle England defense.
Dier should know a thing or two about being brittle. He featured at centre-back and right-back for a Tottenham team last term that conceded the most goals in the top half of the Premier League table. Spurs could not help but give up good chance after good chance as opponents easily found their way through, around and over an often panicked Tottenham backline. Something dramatic would have to be done to patch a leaky dam that constantly threatened to burst.
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To just about everyone’s surprise – including, one assumes, the player himself – Dier turned out to be the solution. Mauricio Pochettino’s shift of the England-born, Portuguese-trained defender to midfield felt temporary at first, and maybe even was intended to be at the start. Dier impressed enough there that Tottenham declined to acquire another defensive midfielder before the transfer window shut in September. He’s sustained that form ever since.
It turns out that Tottenham’s biggest vulnerability last term wasn’t necessarily the backline itself, it was rather how much space was typically left open just in front of that backline. The midfield pairing of Nabil Bentaleb and Ryan Mason had its pluses, but among them was not defense. Mason in particular was guilty of failing to track back or close down opposition attackers that would try to cut inside from out wide.
With Dier, Pochettino found a player who could happily perform that dirty work while also contributing otherwise on the pitch. The key to the player’s success isn’t just a convincing imitating of an English bulldog. When he’s not closing down opponents or launching a well-timed tackle, Dier’s distributing the ball with simple passes to his partner in midfield – lately, fellow England call-up Alli – or the full-back to his right, typically Kyle Walker.
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His pairing of both defense and possession leaves a keen viewer with the impression that Tottenham might have finally found their replacement for Michael Carrick. The current Manchester United man is more known now for his metronomic efforts in cycling possession around the center of the pitch, but he’s still at heart a defensive player. As Dier continues to mature and rely more on positioning than tackles, it’s entirely possible he could become almost as vital to this Tottenham side as Carrick was before his transfer in 2006.
For now though, Dier is the muscle Tottenham never knew they desperately needed in midfield until this season. Teams around the Premier League have already witnessed Dier’s effectiveness first hand, and now, if Dier can solidify his place in this England side, so will the rest of Europe.