How lauded Tottenham ace Eric Dier compares to Nemanja Matic and Francis Coquelin

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Tottenham’s Eric Dier’s performances compared to Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic and Arsenal’s Francis Coquelin.

Eric Dier has been one of the success stories of the season for Tottenham Hotspur, becoming a first team regular in a defensive midfield role.

Last season he was used mainly as right-back and occasionally at centre-back, but with Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Kyle Walker all fully fit and in fine form, Dier has had to adapt to win a place.

Taking advantages of injuries to Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb, Dier has been one of the stars of the season so far, excelling in a 4-1 victory over Manchester City, and there were many fans disappointed not to see his form rewarded with an England call-up.

Dier’s performances stack up well against two of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League, Arsenal’s Francis Coquelin and Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic, but he can’t claim to be superior to either just yet.

Dier has won fewer tackles than both players, but to his credit edges ahead of the duo in terms of interceptions. Where he really looks inferior is in terms of ball recoveries, defined by Opta as ‘When a player takes possession of a loose ball’.

His passing accuracy is strong, although slightly below both Matic and Coquelin, while he has also created fewer chances than either, with the Chelsea ace particularly strong in this area, doing more than both of his North London rivals combined. Dier does himself have more goals than either player, a part of a player’s game which should never be disregarded.

The progress Dier has made this season has been outstanding, and it would be a push to expect him to be outperforming players who have more experience in the position, but looking at his start, if he can add a few elements to his game, it may not be long until he is regarded on par with his peers.