Tuesday 29 September 2015 06:30, UK
Playing defenders in midfield is often frowned upon but Eric Dier's efforts for Tottenham suggest he does not deserve to be put in that category. With the help of ex-Spurs hero Ledley King, Adam Bate examines why Dier deserves an England call-up…
There was little enthusiasm for Mauricio Pochettino's decision to push Eric Dier into a midfield position. The very act of placing a defender into midfield conjures unpleasant memories of Gareth Southgate against Germany or even Martin Keown's interpretation of the role for Bruce Rioch's Arsenal. But sometimes it can bring unexpected benefits.
"Martin may not agree at the moment, but in the long-term it will make him a more effective defender," said Rioch. Although it was only after Arsene Wenger had arrived and restored the combative centre-half to the back line that Arsenal enjoyed success, Keown eventually concurred. "Rioch helped improve my distribution of the ball no end," he said.
Dier's composure in possession coupled with his experience of the position during his time with Sporting in Portugal, meant that in some respects the risks were never so great. But the visit of Manchester City on Saturday could have been the occasion on which the experiment was exposed. Instead, it brought Spurs' joint-biggest win over City in 57 years.
Much of the credit for the result went to Tottenham's effervescent front five as they ran City ragged. But Dier provided the platform. In the first half, he completed more passes than anyone on the pitch and his combined total of tackles, interceptions and blocks was more than any of his team-mates. He capped things by drilling home the game's equalising goal.
Dier is accustomed to fitting in where he can. His initial first-team opportunities at Spurs came in the right-back role, a position in which he also scored two early Premier League goals last season. But he's looked altogether more comfortable in midfield, outperforming Nabil Bentaleb in the opening weeks with his more reliable possession.
Such is life in the Premier League these days that a young Englishman playing regularly in a top-half team will soon attract attention. In Dier's case, that's some turnaround after being omitted from Southgate's England Under-21 squad in the summer. But with holding midfield options limited for Roy Hodgson, the path is all but clear.
Michael Carrick is 34 and Jack Wilshere's ongoing fitness problems suggest his availability cannot be guaranteed. Hodgson used Phil Jones in midfield against Italy as recently as March so there is recent evidence that the England boss is prepared to entrust the role to a defender. Dier is playing there regularly and with greater proficiency than the United man.
Former Tottenham hero Ledley King knows how tough it can be to make that transition. He was thrust into midfield by former England manager Sven Goran Eriksson as a substitute against Croatia at Euro 2004 and started in that position with some success in a subsequent World Cup qualifier against Poland.
Right from the start he surprised me with his composure in there.
However, he endured criticism too. The following year he was asked to shackle the likes of Juan Roman Riquelme and Carlos Tevez in a friendly against Argentina but found himself outmanoeuvred and eventually withdrawn. Speaking to King about Dier's new role, he admits it's a big challenge but is backing the youngster based on what he's seen so far.
"I've been really impressed by Eric Dier," King told Sky Sports. "The first time I saw him in midfield was in pre-season. Right from the start he surprised me with his composure in there. It's totally different. You can be composed at the back but midfield is a different ball game because you have to have a lot more awareness about you.
"A lot of the time you've got your back to play when picking up the ball and he's done that very well. I think he will be a defender in the end, but this will help his game when he drops back, just like it did with me. Once you go back, you feel like everything is slowed down back there. It's not so rushed and you can see the picture a lot clearer and that really helped me."
The prospect of seeing Dier mature into a top-class defender remains an intriguing one. "I do see Dier as a centre-back and I think he's going to have a big long-term future there," added King. But in the meantime, he has a job to do in midfield for Tottenham. It's a job that England could soon be asking to him to take on too.
