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Eric Dier- defender or midfielder ?

Is Dier better in midfield or in defence ?

  • He is a defensive midfielder

    Votes: 67 21.6%
  • He is a central defender

    Votes: 97 31.3%
  • He is a utility player who should only play when others are unavailable, or in the domestic cups.

    Votes: 101 32.6%
  • We should just sell him in one of the next 2 windows. He’s just not good enough.

    Votes: 45 14.5%

  • Total voters
    310

dannythomas

Well-Known Member
May 17, 2004
3,757
2,813
When Dier plays in midfield like today everyone says he is either crap or not a midfielder. When he doesn’t play, like against Watford, it then becomes a stupid decision to leave him out.

I know there’s already a Dier thread so if the author wants to add this poll then great . But I will Post it anyway.
 

Davo99

Well-Known Member
Dec 2, 2006
4,063
5,827
I’m really struggling with him at the minute. I honestly don’t know if he’s a defender or midfielder myself. I think he has flaws in his game that prevent him being that great in either position.

I’d say defender out of the two, as his passing simply isn’t good enough and he plays at too slow a tempo to be an effective central midfielder. It’s quite frustrating watching him play as if he’s Pirlo for large periods of games.

He’d be our fourth best centre back and I don’t think he’s good enough to play midfield, so I’m starting to think maybe we should take big money for him if the chance came along.
 

ljinko888

Well-Known Member
May 17, 2016
2,080
5,376
John O'Shea used to play CM in his early days at Utd and initially got praised because he had presence and some steel for his age. He put himself about and could do a job. Then he got a bit older and his limitations became known as teams found him out, and people suddenly critiqued his lack of ability with the ball. People asked why depend on him when actual skillful and natural CMs are available. So they did buy proper CMs. O'Shea moved back in defence but wasn't that good because he didn't develop as a CB in his younger years so he became a utility player even being used in goal. Then he was packed off to Sunderland.

I think we are heading in that territory with Dier. He looked good initially (2015-16) but hasn't pushed on since and now he is most definitely the 4th ranked CB and in the bottom two for CMs.
 

St José Dominguez

Well-Known Member
Jul 15, 2014
3,592
11,648
It's an obvious exaggeration and I'm sure there's even an example from today's game but it feels like i haven't seen him throw himself into a challenge since that infamous game at Stamford bridge. He was terrible today but I actually think usually he's a decent passer of the ball, my major issue with him now in CM is he just seems so much more lumbering and sleepy than he did when he first played there. I'm not sure if he's attempted to become a different sort of DM or what but he's playing the role in a completely different way than he used to.

Where has that fire gone? I don't know if he's bulked up way too much but I am certain when he first came into the team, at right back I believe, he was a hell of a lot faster than he is now.
Not blaming training methods but when Poch first got the job I felt like a lot of players seemed to have gained a yard of pace, right now it's feeling like numerous have slowed down. Maybe its just imagined because we do not press anymore and we haven't pressed the way Poch teams apparently do for a long, long time.
 

chinaman

Well-Known Member
Jul 19, 2003
17,974
12,423
Right now he is neither. He has regressed so much from the time when Maureen tried to buy him for 40+ million pounds two years ago.
 

Twizzle

The Alpha Male
May 25, 2008
4,955
4,735
He is not and has never been a decent central midfielder.

DM or CB all day
 

Hans Gruber

Active Member
Aug 10, 2017
183
434
When Dier plays in midfield like today everyone says he is either crap or not a midfielder. When he doesn’t play, like against Watford, it then becomes a stupid decision to leave him out.

Against Watford it wasn't that we left Dier out, it was that left all our holding midfielders out. Dembele has shown time and again he can't perform the role on his own.

The issue is Poch yoyo-ing from playing with no holding midfielders to playing all of them. One of Dier or Winks partnering Dembele today would have been fine. Playing all 3 was just ridiculous.
 

eViL

Oliver Skipp's Dad
May 15, 2004
5,840
7,960
Just another midfielder who forgets how to pass the ball forward as soon as he plays for England..

Needs to start stomping across the middle of the pitch kicking people around more often like he used to. There was a time when you'd play against him and knew you were in for a pasting all game - there's no fear for the opposing side's creative players anymore.
 

mattdefoe

Well-Known Member
Jul 16, 2009
3,182
2,572
It's an obvious exaggeration and I'm sure there's even an example from today's game but it feels like i haven't seen him throw himself into a challenge since that infamous game at Stamford bridge. He was terrible today but I actually think usually he's a decent passer of the ball, my major issue with him now in CM is he just seems so much more lumbering and sleepy than he did when he first played there. I'm not sure if he's attempted to become a different sort of DM or what but he's playing the role in a completely different way than he used to.

Where has that fire gone? I don't know if he's bulked up way too much but I am certain when he first came into the team, at right back I believe, he was a hell of a lot faster than he is now.
Not blaming training methods but when Poch first got the job I felt like a lot of players seemed to have gained a yard of pace, right now it's feeling like numerous have slowed down. Maybe its just imagined because we do not press anymore and we haven't pressed the way Poch teams apparently do for a long, long time.

I completely agree , where has the pressing gone.

I feel like dier believes his own hype to much. The amount of terrible back passes he makes , one yesterday and he’s done ones in the past that have cost us goals in big games.

As you suggested He looks slow and unfit . Do our players want to improve and win ?
 

Trix

Well-Known Member
Jul 29, 2004
19,335
329,024
I completely agree , where has the pressing gone.

I feel like dier believes his own hype to much. The amount of terrible back passes he makes , one yesterday and he’s done ones in the past that have cost us goals in big games.

As you suggested He looks slow and unfit . Do our players want to improve and win ?
Put Lamela and son back in a 3 behind Kane and the pressing returns.. It's as simple as that because that is how they naturally play. I'd be looking at those two and Lucas at the moment personally.
 
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Bakinho

Active Member
Aug 21, 2013
38
201
Dier, must be a dream to play against. (y)

So slow, terrific bad passing, no offensive creation. (n)

And somebody must turn his head and tell him where opponents goal are!! :banghead:

Should never played last game, not good enough in my eyes. :coffee:
 

fletch82

Well-Known Member
Aug 23, 2015
2,652
8,489
Like a few of our players at present he seems to have lost the fire in his belly.
Maybe one or two of them need to go back to basics and spend a few games watching from the sidelines on match days and spend some time watching re runs of their own performances.
 

Locotoro

Prince of Zamunda
Sep 2, 2004
9,326
13,915
Dier, must be a dream to play against. (y)

So slow, terrific bad passing, no offensive creation. (n)

And somebody must turn his head and tell him where opponents goal are!! :banghead:

Should never played last game, not good enough in my eyes. :coffee:

He's not a bad passer. He's just sloppy in possession. He makes too many ambitious passes that don't come off and gives it away
 

Primativ

Well-Known Member
Aug 9, 2017
3,229
12,486
He's a very average player for England and Spurs. We need much better if we want to challenge at the top and win things.
 

EastLondonYid

Well-Known Member
Jan 26, 2010
7,837
16,145
Dier is a great squad player, fills in many gaps when needed. but as a first team regular?.. bang average for a team with title hopes imo.
 

King of Otters

Well-Known Member
Jun 11, 2012
10,751
36,093
He’s a squad player. Decent cover for midfield and defence but shouldn’t be a starter in either position for a top 4 side.
 

Krule

Carpe Diem
Jun 4, 2017
4,534
8,686
In a team that genuinely wish to be regarded as title contenders he comes under one category in my humble opinion...."Liability".
 

SdB

Well-Known Member
Aug 23, 2013
1,367
1,878
We seem to have a tendency to let players believe the hype around them, usually generated through serious hard work to get them there and then they all think they're a Pirlo type of player and then stopworking hard and doing the things that made them the player that got rave reviews in the first place.

Dier, Dele and Eriksen spring to mind in that description.

It's hard to describe what it is that irritate me but it is the slow long wave at a ball and over exaggerated passing movements. Just fucking pass it first time and sharply please.
 

SUIYHA

Well-Known Member
Jan 15, 2017
1,723
8,579
Strange how so many people on here who looked at Dier scowling from the bench as we lost to Watford and cried that he should have been starting the game are now throwing a tantrum that he isn't good enough.

He definitely seems to have regressed over the last year or so. Is that because of a confusion about his role in the team? Remember, he was superb as a DM in 15/16 and then did a very good job as part of a 3 man defence in 16/17. Clearly the talent is there, but is the application? Is the correct coaching?

I'd go with Wanyama, assuming he's fit, against Inter FWIW.
 
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