There is a spectre haunting England, and it is that of the Lampard-Gerrard debate. It was a debate for a while, no matter how conclusively history seems to have proved that the two wouldn’t ever learn to play together. Or rather, and this is the key point, they couldn’t play together in the centre of a midfield four. The underachievement of the so-called Golden Generation taught a valuable lesson and that is that the England team should not be selected by picking the best 11 players on the assumption that good players will find a way. There must be a view to balance. And that is why Eric Dier is so vital.
Ottmar Hitzfeld, the great German coach, called the part of the pitch just outside the penalty area the red zone. Dominate that, he believed, and you were very unlikely to lose the game. The enduring truth of that is one of the reasons that 4-2-3-1, which places two midfielders in that area to protect the back four, has become the universal default (it’s almost certain to be the most popular formation at Euro 2016, with 11 of the 24 sides likely to use it).
Lampard and Gerrard were box-to-box players and lacked the defensive qualities to protect the back four. In theory one could have pushed forward and one sat, working like pistons – as, say, Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit did for Arsenal. But whether because instinct proved too strong, or because of the limited time available for tactical fine-tuning at international level, that never happened. England, of course could have switched to a 4-3-3, playing both, but that would have meant leaving out David Beckham and breaking up the Wayne Rooney-Michael Owen partnership.
There were various times when Gareth Barry or Owen Hargreaves were tried but the sense was always that they were there on sufferance, that the urge of celebrity would dislodge them eventually. It was a similar mindset that led Roy Hodgson to abandon his 4-3-3 ahead of the World Cup, opting for a 4-2-3-1 that, with Jordan Henderson and Gerrard at the back of midfield, proved too open.
Dier only made his debut for England in November. His winner against Germany on Saturday came in just his third cap. Yet already it seems inconceivable, barring injury, that he will not be starting for England against Russia in June. Amid all the discussions of permutations – how to fit Rooney in, whether Jamie Vardy should start alongside Harry Kane, whether Ross Barkley can start if Dele Alli does – the one constant is Dier.
With a solid base, all possibilities can be considered: the 4-3-3 with which England started in Berlin, the diamond with which they finished, some sort of lop-sided 4-3-3 that accommodates Rooney and a winger… But Dier is the key.
His headed winner capped a fine game, but goals aren’t really what Dier is there for. Two tackles and an interception aren’t the most eye-catching stats – Alli actually won the ball back twice as often – while a pass completion rate of 83.7% isn’t particularly noteworthy either; decent, but not spectacular.
Far more important is his positioning, the way he can drop back between the two central-defenders to become a third centre-back. Two aerials won – two more than Chris Smalling – and five clearances made hint at that. All of those clearances were in a small area just inside the England box; the attempted tackles and interceptions all happened out near the touchlines. That gives an idea of how Dier plays, essentially filling space; it’s as though he attempts the tackles only when he’s been drawn wide, either when there is no alternative or when he knows there are few consequences for mistiming the attempt. Aside from his goal, there was not a single touch in the last 40 yards of the pitch, which says much for his discipline.
England, at last, have a high-class holding midfielder. He may not set the pulse racing like Vardy, Alli or Kane but a fixed point like that, paradoxically, can lead to fluidity and versatility.
Should Dier be among the first names on the teamsheet for England this summer? Let us know in the comments below
