Tottenham End of Season Review: Eric Dier

Though he’s not the only player at Tottenham to reform his image this season, Eric Dier is certainly the biggest surprise.

Dier could be seen as the Dele Alli of the 2014 summer transfer window. One of Mauricio Pochettino’s first signings upon arriving at Tottenham, Dier was lifted from relative obscurity in Portugal and brought back to England for a nominal fee.

His first season with the club wasn’t quite on the same level as Alli’s, of course. He traded between centre-back and full-back roles, performing well enough in both roles to be the presumptive back-up option for Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld ahead of this term’s pre-season tour.

Pochettino had other ideas for Dier, however. He was shuffled forward in the starting XI and made into a defensive midfielder. This wasn’t an unfamiliar role for Dier — he fielded in that position for Sporting previously — but the shift ultimately represented a significant development in both the player’s career at Tottenham and the club’s success as a whole.

Prior to Dier’s redeployment, Tottenham suffered from a lack of muscle in the center of the pitch. Last season’s pairing of Nabil Bentaleb and Ryan Mason was promising at best and absolutely porous at worst. Pochettino knew that the first step in shoring up Tottenham’s defense was securing the area just in front of his centre-backs.

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And who better to do that than a once-and-future centre-back? Dier seamlessly slotted into his new roll right from the start. His combination of great defensive awareness combined with a surprising talent for simple but effective distribution made him one of Pochettino’s most important players from very early in Tottenham’s campaign.

Dier’s take on a defensive midfielder was in keeping with Pochettino’s wider philosophy at Tottenham. He’s a resolute defender in a classical sense, covering particularly dangerous routes and closing down threats, but also has enough savvy to know what to do with the ball at his feat.

Now, it’s never anything too complicated. He doesn’t have illusions of playmaking exactly. Rather, he’s more similar to a Xabi Alonso or Sergio Busquests — players who control the deeper midfield area of the pitch and rely on simple passes to their more creative or advanced teammates to get play moving forward.

The partners that have joined Dier in midfield have all been attempts by Pochettino balance out Dier’s contribution. It began with Mason, a player with a definite attacking intent, shuttling balls forward with Dier covering the space in behind.

When Mason got injured, Dele Alli and Mousa Dembélé alternated in the role with occasional cameos by Tom Carroll. When it became evident that Alli’s place lied further up the pitch and Carroll was a better option from the bench or in non-league matches, Dembélé is the one who benefited along with the rest of Tottenham.

The Dier/Dembélé access would go on to define the latter half of Tottenham’s stellar season. Neither were prolifically talented passers, but they shared a willingness to operate in deeper positions, with Dembélé often dribbling forward in possession to get the ball into more advantageous areas.

Throughout this transition in midfield, Dier was an absolute constant. But for suspension earned as a result of accumulated yellows, Dier played in every single Premier League match this season and a majority of matches outside that competition. That kind of durability and fitness is a huge plus for Pochettino, and made it easy for Tottenham to keep a consistently tight defense right up through the final stretch.

Next: Former Tottenham Player David Ginola Recovering

Rumors of Tottenham looking for a “proper” defensive midfielder were muffled early by Dier’s fine performances, and the recently-capped England international can expect to hold onto his place as he features in the Euros over the summer.

Final Grade: B+

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