Player Focus: Dier Deserves Chance to Play Ball Winning Role for England

As Roy Hodgson announced his England squad for the upcoming friendlies with Spain and France there were very few surprise inclusions. With the likes of Sturridge, Welbeck and Wilshere all long-term absentees on the international front, the Three Lions boss is being forced to prepare for the fact that he could be without a number of his favoured players given their proneness to injury.

While the likes of Jonjo Shelvey, Dele Alli and, unsurprisingly, Jamie Vardy have kept their places in Hodgson’s latest squad, the only newcomer to the fold is Tottenham’s Eric Dier, whom many felt was harshly overlooked in the last selection. The 21-year old has certainly enjoyed a fine start to his second campaign in England, and could be the answer to a problem that England hadn’t been forced to address in their qualifying campaign.

Finishing their group with a 100% record at something of a canter, the onus has been on England to keep the ball in matches ever since a dismal World Cup in 2014. In turn the likes of Fabian Delph, Jonjo Shelvey, Adam Lallana and Ross Barkley have all featured in a midfield three during qualifying, while Jack Wilshere was preferred in the holding role before yet another injury set back.

It’s fair to say that none of those players would fill you with confidence when it comes to protecting the back four against Europe’s elite, with England’s upcoming friendly opponents certainly falling into that bracket. This, then, is a chance for Dier to impress in preparation for the games and prove his worth to the first team as Hodgson looks to ensure his side are suitably equipped to cope when out of possession.

While a centre-back by trade, he, much like Phil Jones, has had the opportunity to add to his game by being played at right-back and latterly in midfield. While such inconsistency in terms of playing position could hinder a youngster’s progression - which could perhaps be the case in the instance of Jones - however, Dier’s development into a ball winning midfielder has only strengthened his case for an early international call-up.

Despite starting 25 league games last season constant changes in defensive partners exposed the Englishman at times, though Mauricio Pochettino showed great faith in his summer signing. He began the campaign at right-back, turning down a call-up to England’s U21 squad due to the fact that he didn’t want to be viewed as a long-term option in that position, though Dier is certainly not concerned that he is unlikely to be used as a centre-back for the senior squad this month.

With Chris Smalling having made great strides since the turn of the year and John Stones emerging as Gary Cahill and teammate Phil Jagielka’s most likely successor, Dier’s chances of playing in the back four are slim at present. However, with a distinct lack of defensive options in midfield he has a great chance to stake a claim for a position that is all but up for grabs ahead of next summer’s Euros.

Dier has proven this season, even against some of the league’s strongest side’s, that he is more than capable of breaking up play and indeed utilising possession in an intelligent manner. A total of 34 tackles is the most at Spurs, while that average of 3.4 per game is second of all Englishman in the Premier League.

His strong and committed style has enabled Spurs’ more attacking midfield options to focus their energy further upfield and has been a key factor in the fact that Tottenham’s unbeaten streak of 10 league matches is the longest in the top-flight. Only Bayern and PSG - who dominate their respective leagues - have gone more games without defeat all season in Europe’s top 5 leagues.

With a further 2.5 interceptions per game his anticipation has allowed Tottenham to play in the manner that their manager insists upon, on the front foot, quickly turning a spell out of position into a swift attack. A total of 25 is again among the best of Englishman in the Premier League, this time ranking 5th, whilst sitting sixth in terms of passes per game of compatriots to have made more than 5 appearances, at a solid 86.1% completion rate.

Strong in the air and in the tackle, the only area that Dier has shown weakness in his current role is his discipline. Only Norwich’s Alexander Tettey (6) has been booked more times than Dier (5) this season, and while an average of 1.8 fouls per game isn’t a great surprise given the amount of duels he contests, both aerially and on the deck, he’ll need to keep his emotions in check to cut it at international level.

Nevertheless, there is no other player in the squad that has proven as capable this season when it comes to effectively shielding a defence. Indeed, Tottenham’s significantly improved record at the back has as much to do with Dier’s positioning and protection as the impressive start Toby Alderweireld has made in North London; the Belgian’s arrival another reason why Dier may be best served focusing on developing his game into that of a deep-lying midfielder.

It’s very early into the season, and indeed the Spurs youngster’s progression in that position, but with a place in Hodgson’s plans in France next summer very much there for the taking there is arguably no better candidate in that ball winning role right now. Even if Wilshere is fit and Shelvey, Carrick and Henderson could all play the sitting role in England’s midfield, an acceptance that they won’t have the ball for long periods at the Euros is crucial.

With pace and trickery in attacking positions the Three Lions are well equipped to play on the counter. To do that you need a ball winning midfielder, so this month’s friendlies represent the perfect chance to play a style of football that England have actually looked better suited to for major international tournaments for some time.

Can Dier make a place in England's starting XI his own? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below