Eric Dier: is the omnipresent Tottenham man underappreciated?
Many have questioned whether Eric Dier would feature in Tottenham’s strongest side; yet, through rain or shine his name firmly remains in Mauricio Pochettino’s first XI. Let’s look at the virtues that have made Eric a perennial starter.
Versatility
Pochettino likes to keep a trim squad, and due to Eric’s versatility, he holds the worth of two men.
The protean player started his Tottenham career at the right back, and has since moved to the centre of defence, to midfield, and then back again!
It is widely believed, and thought by Eric himself, that his better position is in midfield. But the arrival of Victor Wanyama, a couple of injuries, and a tactical reshuffle meant Dier spent most of the last campaign in defence.
To say this is his weaker position is a staggering compliment when referring to some of his better performances at the back last autumn. Eric put in a Herculean display from the heart of the defence at the Bernabeu, while seamlessly dropped back to cover Toby Alderweireld in the reverse fixture.
And in Poch’s opinion, this is where Eric’s future lies. In Guillem Balague’s book, A Brave New World, he argues this on some occasions, stating:
"“He has played well in midfield, although it is not the position for which he is best suited. I’ve told Eric he has what it takes to be the best English centre-back.”"
Quality
Dier’s versatility is the virtue of a broad skill set.
He is perhaps best known for his gladiatorial combativeness, caricatured at the ‘Battle of the Bridge’ two years ago. An iconic photo shows Eric walking away from a fallen body with a wry smile after, to put it bluntly, smashing up the entire Chelsea team.
This time around at the Bridge his game was again full of crunching tackles, albeit of a slightly more viewer-friendly nature, but it was his passing that was finally lionised. Dier landed a sweeping Hoddle-esque ball on the toe of his best mate who slotted it home within two touches.
It was the culmination of some swift and crisp passing in recent weeks that is perhaps the virtue that sees him retain his place ahead of a fully fit Victor Wanyama. Last year Dier averaged the second highest number of passes (55) per game for Spurs with a success rate of 86.7%.
However, the other 13 or so percent have lead to some highly fraught moments. Dier was culpable for gifting five shooting opportunities to opposition sides last season and matched that tally this campaign with a costly error against Liverpool.
But since then Eric has been solid. He may not possess the finesse of the extraterrestrial Mousa Dembele or the brute force of human roadblock Victor Wanyama, but he is perhaps overall a more well-rounded player.
Fitness
While seemingly inevitable knocks have left his contemporaries in the treatment room, Dier has been crusading through the team filling the voids.
Tottenham’s number 15 seems to be made of titanium and has only failed to appear in four league games since the beginning of the 2015 season. Dier has also featured in 38 cup games in that period and established himself as a front-runner to lead his country at the World Cup this summer.
Next: Stoke vs Tottenham: Who does Mauricio start?
The value of Eric may remain underappreciated by the cursory fan. But ever since marking the dawning of the Poch era with a last minute winner he has been an omnipresent figure, working tirelessly in the shadows.