Eric Dier

[tiger666]

Dier really is dire. What a terrible performance. Slow, ponderous. He looks a shadow of the player from a few years ago.

I struggle to see what he excels at. Always seems to give the ball away cheaply every time he plays.

He's played just about more minutes than any other player for a team finishing 3rd, 2nd, 3rd so no, he doesn't always give the ball away cheaply every time he plays. Personally don't give a toss what he does playing for England in a different system with different players.

 

[LexingtonSpurs]

I think it will be interesting to see how Dier looks at himself going forward - he seems to be clearly behind Henderson for the foreseeable future at CM - so I wonder if that will push Dier towards a CB role.

 

[DannyNZ]

Yep, didn't play well enough to say "pick me", hopefully just an off night.

Actually thought he was one of the best of the England players tonight. Having said that won’t Dembele be hard to replace he owned the centre of the field.

 

[Blake Griffin]

cb playing dm.

 

[Lee82]

Dier was good for us in a back three when we played 3421 in 16/17. I don’t understand why Southgate hasn’t put him in the back three ahead of walker in the first two games and at least try him there tonight.

 

[whitesocks]

Henderson is a sideways player his passing is not in the same league as Dier. Forgetting the two goals Stones scored as a defender he is a liability. Dier is a more composed defender imo.

It amazes me how much Dier's underrated he certainly had good schooling at Sporting Lisbon

I thought we looked a bit better today in defence, with Dier screening in front.

But did he really press his case to be first choice? He tended to pick up Fellaini who had a very good game, and caused problems through out. Dier made no contribution in the final 3rd.

Southgate has decided the spine of his team and Dier knows he is just a reserve, despite his efforts in qualification. That must be tough to take when he knows he is better than Henderson and most of the back 3 candidates.

 

[Dr Know]

Based on some of the posts in here, I definitely need to visit spec savers!

 

[ljinko888]

People will say he is not good enough to play in midfield but I don't think the problem is his lack of suitability.

He does have the ability to play crossfield passes and more ambitious balls. He played a couple tonight. And he is tenacious in winning the ball back. However to become a top player he needs to cut out the amount of slack moments he has in games.

He makes the same errors from time to time playing in defence which stems from not knowing what's around him. Just as example Winks isn't a player who many of us would say is much better than Dier. Their styles are different though. Winks is very good at knowing what is over his shoulder and screening the ball - the simple looking thing of making a yard of space for yourself to buy yourself time on the ball. The real top midfield players like Modric make that an art as well as having other facets to their game.

Dier as a midfielder is more of a stopper than a player to dictate the tempo but for club and country he often finds himself asked to do more, because we will have the majority of the ball in most games. So his habit of waiting for the ball to come to him and opponent nipping in to catch him unaware is very noticeable or being caught out by the press stands out. Lets be honest - Dembele doesn't have a great passing range, but the fact he is so agile and almost unplayable when he carries the ball more than makes up for it whereas Dier doesn't have those redeeming qualities. Therefore if he wants to be a midfield player he needs to be more alert-minded. It wasn't a good look for the England captain on the night to be turning the ball over under pressure.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Henderson is a sideways player his passing is not in the same league as Dier. Forgetting the two goals Stones scored as a defender he is a liability. Dier is a more composed defender imo.

It amazes me how much Dier's underrated he certainly had good schooling at Sporting Lisbon

Mate, this really isn't true. Henderson's passing is much, much more progressive than Dier's, and I don't even overly rate Henderson. And pinging the odd long diagonal is really not a very exceptional trick, just about every CB in the history of football could do this, including Dawson. But as we've seen for England at this World Cup, Henderson even does that better than Dier.

Here's some passing stats.

And even defensively, Henderson is more dynamic, can press better, because he's harder to spin than the cumbersome Dier.

 

[dannythomas]

Mate, this really isn't true. Henderson's passing is much, much more progressive than Dier's, and I don't even overly rate Henderson. And pinging the odd long diagonal is really not a very exceptional trick, just about every CB in the history of football could do this, including Dawson. But as we've seen for England at this World Cup, Henderson even does that better than Dier.

Here's some passing stats.

View attachment 39100


And even defensively, Henderson is more dynamic, can press better, because he's harder to spin than the cumbersome Dier.

Where I agree with you is that Dier does not possess the quality to be a high level holding midfielder. He was totally dreadful against Belgium. Possibly the worst player on the pitch. He has proven himself a good option at the back but that’s as far as it goes. He had a good season in the year we finished 3rd but since then has not looked like a midfielder at at all.

Where I’m sure you will disagree with me is that there was a stark contrast between Dier and Dembele in that match. Dembele did the simple things well whereas Dier simply did nothing. We are going to miss Dembele a huge amount and I for one still think that he would be worth keeping if only to help close out matches when we are up, just as he did for Belgium.

 

[Frozen_Waffles]

I am a fan of Dier in midfield and not so much Henderson but Henderson does release the ball quickly and is generally more efficient with it.

However Henderson doesn't really know how to position himself, where as, generally Dier does. You can see Dier is constantly thinking about the game around him.

I do however agree he loses his attention a bit and I think both him and rose really didn't care about today.

Against better opposition it would be Dier for me every time. He was the best midfielder out there today for England (and I am not complimenting him)

He was not helped by having Delph and RLC with him, both are nowhere near good enough.

 

[dannythomas]

I think it will be interesting to see how Dier looks at himself going forward - he seems to be clearly behind Henderson for the foreseeable future at CM - so I wonder if that will push Dier towards a CB role.

He’s a central defender who did a good job as a stop gap holding midfielder 3 seasons ago. But his game has not moved forward in that position whereas he can still develop as a CD.

 

[fatpiranha]

Playing in midfield has made Dier go backwards in his development. He was great in his first season with us but tonight's game epitomised his deficiencies as a midfielder. He hid from the ball and didn't make himself available to even receive a pass. When he was in possession he either passed backwards or gave away possession with aimless hoiks forward. He rarely attempted to tackle and when he did often gave away a foul. He looked like he really couldn't be arsed and we saw that frequently last season especially against weaker opposition.

It's time for him to accept what he is - a very good and versatile defender - and stop pretending he can play in midfield except in an emergency. I'd honestly rather see Foyth given a chance in a DM role. At least he passes the ball quickly and accurately.

 

[glospur]

A sure sign that someone has absolutely 0 clue about the role Dier plays or the value he brings, and generally the role of a holding midfielder, is when they say he isn't energetic enough or doesn't press well. That's literally the last thing you want from your defensive midfielder in England's system as it would leave all sorts of holes in midfield for crafty attackers and advanced midfielders to exploit. And the same goes for Spurs. When teams break through our press it's almost always Dier who is positioned perfectly to slow down their attack and allow the players who have pressed to regain their shape. It's just weird that people think that because he uses an economy of movement and doesnt run around like a headless chicken, it means he's been poor.

Dier's knowledge of defensive positioning is genuinely elite. There's no one better in this English squad when it comes to those instincts, and no one who plays in midfield for Spurs who is better. Anyone who just looks at his 'simple' passing or lack of energy is ridiculously lazy and shallow in their analysis of his game, and it's a sure sign of someone who has a poor understanding and appreciation of the defensive qualities in a footballer, and their importance to a team.

There is a reason why the best defensive coach in the league over the last few years always picks him, and there's a reason why arguably the best defensive coach in the world was desperate to splash 50m on him last summer. They both appreciate how good Dier is with his defensive instincts and knoweldge of where to be somewhere and when to be there.

 

[glospur]

Playing in midfield has made Dier go backwards in his development. He was great in his first season with us but tonight's game epitomised his deficiencies as a midfielder. He hid from the ball and didn't make himself available to even receive a pass. When he was in possession he either passed backwards or gave away possession with aimless hoiks forward. He rarely attempted to tackle and when he did often gave away a foul. He looked like he really couldn't be arsed and we saw that frequently last season especially against weaker opposition.

It's time for him to accept what he is - a very good and versatile defender - and stop pretending he can play in midfield except in an emergency. I'd honestly rather see Foyth given a chance in a DM role. At least he passes the ball quickly and accurately.

What, and Pochettino should also 'stop pretending he can play midfield' despite him being a mainstay and a vital cog of our best top flight years since the 60s?

Pochettino picks the sides, and he regularly picks Dier in midfield because he, unlike so many on here he seems, actually understands and appreciates what he brings in midfield.

 

[guiltyparty]

Mate, this really isn't true. Henderson's passing is much, much more progressive than Dier's, and I don't even overly rate Henderson. And pinging the odd long diagonal is really not a very exceptional trick, just about every CB in the history of football could do this, including Dawson. But as we've seen for England at this World Cup, Henderson even does that better than Dier.

Here's some passing stats.

View attachment 39100


And even defensively, Henderson is more dynamic, can press better, because he's harder to spin than the cumbersome Dier.

This. Cracks me up these Spurs fans being all “Liverpool are obsessed with us and slagging us off” but who can’t accept Henderson is decent. You’re doing exactly the same thing.

The pillorying of Henderson and raving about Dier just doesn’t stand up to any analysis or investigation.

Used to be a big fan of Dier but he has personally regressed hugely. Whether it’s wanting a move or what, dunno, but he’s way off the player I thought he was going to be a few years ago

 

[Ron Burgundy]

Henderson should and will start over Dier.

Honestly, Dier's done a good job for us as a DM, but for me, he looks poor at the moment. A little cumbersome and his passing is a little off.

Did you see Jenas' analysis of him towards the end of the game? Honestly, he just stood around during what was pretty much a goal mouth scramble.

I find it very surprising that even a biased Spurs fan would want to play Dier over Henderson - it's like we're watching different players.

The more I see him, the more I think Dier should, from now on, focus on CB where I think he could become a very good player.

It's not that I don't think he's done a good job for us in DM - he has, and at times he's been excellent. But I genuinely feel that if we want to move forward, we need someone more dynamic and ideally more cultured on the ball.

 

[TheAwsPhil]

Dier has not progressed as a CM since 15/16. He lack fundamental aspects in his game as a CM.
He is immobile, he is too slow to move to positions to receive a pass. Just look at Modric, he is a 33 year old croatian, who always run into space to receive a pass.

Dier is also not great at progressing the ball from midfield to final third. He is the slowest thinker in our starting eleven, and by taking so much time to choose a pass other options are now closed, and even then he chooses the wrong choice. This pisses me off the most. He has a portugese football education, and I genuinely believe his passing is better than Henderson, but Henderson understand he needs to progress the ball forward if there is an option.

Dier also can't cover as much ground as Wanyama or a Kante can. So he would not do well at all in a single pivot. Plus he is also weak to pressing. Toni Kroos is slow and is not physically strong enough to beat a press, but he has just a good enough technical ability to beat the first press or he is just so fast-thinking he quickly passes the ball before being pressed.

All these things are lacking in Dier, but the absolute worst thing about Dier are his brainfarts. I am pretty sure Dier is THE outfield player with most personal errors. He is directly responsible for a goal in the liverpool game at anfield 17/18 and 16/17. He is also responsible for a goal in the man city game at etihad 17/18.

His defensive positioning is elite and his ability to split the CBs is also great, but I want more. Dier is a bottleneck in our system when it comes to transition and progressing the ball from midfield to the final third.

 

[TheAwsPhil]

Dier has not progressed as a CM since 15/16. He lack fundamental aspects in his game as a CM.
He is immobile, he is too slow to move to positions to receive a pass. Just look at Modric, he is a 33 year old croatian, who always run into space to receive a pass.

Dier is also not great at progressing the ball from midfield to final third. He is the slowest thinker in our starting eleven, and by taking so much time to choose a pass other options are now closed, and even then he chooses the wrong choice. This pisses me off the most. He has a portugese football education, and I genuinely believe his passing is better than Henderson, but Henderson understand he needs to progress the ball forward if there is an option.

Dier also can't cover as much ground as Wanyama or a Kante can. So he would not do well at all in a single pivot. Plus he is also weak to pressing. Toni Kroos is slow and is not physically strong enough to beat a press, but he has just a good enough technical ability to beat the first press or he is just so fast-thinking he quickly passes the ball before being pressed.

All these things are lacking in Dier, but the absolute worst thing about Dier are his brainfarts. I am pretty sure Dier is THE outfield player with most personal errors. He is directly responsible for a goal in the liverpool game at anfield 17/18 and 16/17. He is also responsible for a goal in the man city game at etihad 17/18.

His defensive positioning is elite and his ability to split the CBs is also great, but I want more. Dier is a bottleneck in our system when it comes to transition and progressing the ball from midfield to the final third.

BUT!
as a CB he has given some magnificent performances in 17/18. Not many though, because he didn't play many games as CB.

He was outstanding in both Crystal Palace games, especially against Zaha. He was outstanding in the Real madrid games.
He gave a 9/10 performance against Man Utd for 80 min at Old Trafford, until his huge brainfart.

I truly believe he has potential for world class CB, but as a CM he will never be more than an average CM for a top team.

 

[coys200]

There’s no question if we could find a DM like Kante or Fernandinho it would massively improve us. Unfortunately wanyama is very much like Dier. Starting to think it’s overkill to have Dier and wanyama. Would give the squad a lot more variety if we could find a more mobile dynamic DM that’s really comfortable on the ball. Possibly that may be Winks. But Is he physically strong enough for that role I’m not sure. From the little I’ve seen Foyth could be ideal. But guess will have to just trust Poch to find the solution. Even though Dier /wanyama have done a decent job it’s probably one of the areas that’s held us back being a top top team and winning something. Probably obvious to say but if you swapped Kante for Dier/wanyama in 15/16 and 16/17 we’d probably have 2 league titles.