Eric Dier

[Sevens]

For me if we play 3 at the back - and we pretty much did today - then it seems sensible either Dier is one of them, or we bring in Winks. 3 CBs and a hybrid looks over kill unless we are playing Burnley.

Also Ndombele doesn't pass sideways and Sissoko, when he is not scoring, tends to feed Aurier. So Dier didn't have much of the ball.

Except we looked so much better today, so something was going right. Maybe just his presence allowed other to adventure forward. I imagine Dele is probably much happier with his mate back in the side.
I'm not looking to fix something that is not too broken.

A good DM doesn't try and be an eye catching player. Fans are generally idiots when it comes to the tactical side of the game and they love their DMs running 40 yards at full pelt and put in a booming tackle at the end of it. That's a poor DM, but the fans love it because it is visually eye catching.

Dier isn't the best DM around. In the same way Freund wasn't and David Howells wasn't. But he reads the game well (as did the other two) and is always there to receive a supporting pass and to shield the back four. That kind of player is crucial to any team and one of the reasons we lost it under Poch is that Poch decided that a DM wasn't important.

 

[Joely]

I have a feeling Mourinho will persist with him and see him as an important part of the team. Never totally been won over by Dier in midfield but if it is the case Mourinho sticks with him, will back him but he seriously has to sort his conditioning out.....looks far too heavy and that isn't just down to a lack of games imo. I know he has had a bad run with injuries and health issues over the last year or so which obviously hasn't helped but looks like he is over them and really needs to look to lean out somewhat and lose the bulk.

If he can return to the physical shape from a few years ago, think Mourinho could possibly work with him to make him a cog in the team. He is never going to be a dynamic defensive midfielder in the Kante or Ndidi mould but if he can excel positionally and in terms of reading the game, maybe he can do a job for the team.

 

[Locotoro]

I feel the problem we are seeing with Dier has a lot to do with him being out of action for such a long time and I do think eventually he will improve. Having said that I also recognise that peak Dier was always a type of last ditch defensive midfielder rather than peak Wanyama who was a stand up interception/tackle type.

 

[Joely]

I'm wondering whether Mourinho may go in for Matic. Didn't realise he was out of contract in the summer. He is 31 but I wouldn't be surprised if Levy lowballed Utd on the last day of day of the window if Mourinho wants him.

Being mentioned Utd are looking for £15m for him. Levy did pay around £12m for Llorente when he was 31-32 so I wouldn't totally rule it out. Mourinho obviously seems a fan of his to. Even more likely if we shift Wanyama January.

 

[Crow]

I feel bad for Eric, he's really struggling at the moment. No doubt the lack of game time has hurt him, but everything looked so labored. He reminded me a little of Jamie Redknapp in his final days here, running in treacle and not getting very far.

 

[Ossie85]

You're having a bubble! Defensively he did well today.

Every couple of years I seem to have this debate about DMs. The best DMs have low interception and tackle stats. Why? Because they anticipate and stop the ball being played anywhere near them.

On the ball Dier needs to do better, but ultimately he is a DM so he doesn't have to do that much better and his passing today was no worse than many of his team mates (N'Dombele had a dreadful game for example, and Dier had to run his arse off to cover for N'Dombele's lack of discipline and all round poor positioning).

Sorry, but that's just ridiculous.
A good DM that anticipates the play, needs to have good interception numbers.
His job is to defend and regain possession of the ball. Not shadow players.
If he gets low interception and tackle stats he's not doing his job

 

[Larryfromthelane]

Its unbelievable he is getting game time, he looks like a division two player at the moment. I hope he gets back to fitness but we cant wait and must buy someone in Jan

 

[dk-yid]

Today he touched the ball probably 5 times only all game.

He didnt shield the defence like what DMs should do.

He didnt make a single tackle

He didnt make incisive runs forward

He didnt make himself available for a pass from defence.

He allowed the opponents to shoot from the positions where he was supposed to be protecting.

If he was brpught on by Jose to protect the defence, then we might as well play Winks, because both won't protect the defence, but at least Winks contributes more to midfield.

He wasn't brilliant - subjectively maybe not even good enough - but let's be a little balanced.

He had as many touches as Son and six more than Kane. Receiving the ball from the defence as well as from wings and balls playd back.

Ran almost 12 km. Made 1 tackles, 1 more than Sanchez, 4 interceptions same as Sanchez and blocked one effort on goal. At one point he sprinted o. The right and caught Stacey who started at least 10 feet in front of him.

Now I know that some will say 'yeah, but he was heavy and didn't look the part' or 'ok but stats don't tell the whole picture'. Both valid opinions but that doesn't mean that he was inept or as invisible as some will say.

Is he our long term solution in the DM position? I don't know but he's been out for a very long time and contributed in different ways yesterday to our win so let's not jump on him yet at least without the facts straight.

 

[jonnyp]

I feel the problem we are seeing with Dier has a lot to do with him being out of action for such a long time and I do think eventually he will improve. Having said that I also recognise that peak Dier was always a type of last ditch defensive midfielder rather than peak Wanyama who was a stand up interception/tackle type.

He was poor even before his injury woes.

 

[branchie]

Looks like he needs to lose a couple of stone.

His mobility wasn't great - It was too easy for them to play around him

 

[tiger666]

Its unbelievable he is getting game time

What alternative is there? We need a DM, Winks isn't up to it and Wanyama is broken.

 

[Larryfromthelane]

What alternative is there? We need a DM, Winks isn't up to it and Wanyama is broken.

I agree, I meant its unbelievable there he is the best we have

 

[Giovanni]

I think jose just as much as us fans are wanting him to pull through and become the dm we need. Unfortunately a large number of us (me included) just cant see him being capable of getting to where we need him to be.
There seems to be a real lack of attainable dm's out there. Even if levy did decide to back jose with whoever he wants in that position we know jose shops at the top of the food chain. But who is there in world football right now that we could go out and get and know that it will be job done to sorting that position. It needs to be somebody mobile and strong in the tackle. Who is the next fernandinho in world football?

I think we will just have to work with the players we have to find the best solution.

 

[Monkey boy]

I asked on another thread already, but who do people think is out there as a viable alternative? I’m not as up on foreign footy as used to be so no one comes to mind, and in the prem I can’t think of anyone decent who we have chance of getting.

“No, there isn’t a single player out there that we could attempt to buy that would improve our squad. It’s very difficult to improve on what we’ve already got” Poch circa 2018

 

[slartibartfast]

He was poor even before his injury woes.

Yeah thats what got him into the England squad, poor form

 

[tiger666]

I agree, I meant its unbelievable there he is the best we have

Well Poch didn't put much emphasis on a proper DM so here we are.

 

[ajspurs]

The fear I have with Dier is like what others have alluded to, I don't think it's so much a confidence thing, partly yes, but he just looks too slow and heavy to play such a role effectively where the football being played around him is at such a pace. Both sets of commentators in the last two matches I've heard state as much.

I think at the very least if he's not going to be that hassling and all-tackling type of DM he should be just sitting deep and spreading the ball around but he sees incapable of even that. At times he actually seems to be more further forward than I think he should be and there were times yesterday in which Bournemouth had breached the midfield line too easily without anyone sitting a bit deeper.

 

[doctor stefan Freud]

This is just one example of the problem with playing Dier

An example of his poor positional sense from yesterday. He’s more advanced than Ndombele, Sissoko and even Son. It’s baffling what he’s doing so advanced up the pitch when he lacks the mobility to get back quick enough or the technical skills to play intricate, quick passing that’s required of advanced players in a counterattacking side.

His positional sense was a real issue
against Olympiakos, just as it was at times yesterday. But it’s not only this. He’s also incredibly slow and his passing, which has to be more precise and consistent, is poor.

If he wants to develop his career in an elite team, he needs to consider switching to CB, and even this isn’t a guaranteed success, because the game has passed him by in midfield now.

 

[THFCSPURS19]

Sorry, but that's just ridiculous.
A good DM that anticipates the play, needs to have good interception numbers.
His job is to defend and regain possession of the ball. Not shadow players.
If he gets low interception and tackle stats he's not doing his job

Yup. It's literally the complete opposite. DMs always lead the tackles + interceptions charts (e.g. Kante, Ndidi, Gueye in previous years) but the best CBs don't show up regularly at the top of the charts.

 

[Wheeler Dealer]

He had a decent season 2015-16 when Dembele partnered him.