The West Ham and Tottenham midfielders have both performed well so far this term.
Eric Dier has received plenty of praise so far this season and rightly so. The Tottenham Hotspur – and now England – midfielder has been brilliant in the middle of the park, despite naturally being a defender.
His stats demonstrate that and Mauricio Pochettino deserves credit for converting the 22-year-old into a midfielder.
But, ahead of Tottenham’s clash with West Ham United on Sunday, there’s another midfielder who’s also made a strong impression so far this term – on the other side of London.
| 2015/16 | Tackles | Interceptions | Accurate Passes | Chances Created | Minutes Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheikhou Kouyaté | 26 | 20 | 353 | 10 | 976 |
| Eric Dier | 24 | 25 | 488 | 4 | 977 |
As Opta stats show, both Cheikhou Kouyate and Dier deserve credit for their showings so far this campaign.
The Spurs and West Ham midfielders have won a similar amount of tackles, while Dier edges the interceptions battle. Passing wise, the Tottenham man has also completed far more passes than Kouyate.
But the Hammers man is more attacking, having created six more chances. Dier wouldn’t be expected to create too many being a holding midfielder, of course.
It should be a fascinating battle between the two on Sunday if they feature – and the two midfields in general. West Ham will likely play for the point without the creative force of Dimitri Payet – but will they be able to get a result?
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