Chris Sutton has criticised the performance of Tottenham Hotspur star Eric Dier for England against Belgium on Sunday evening, as quoted in The Daily Mail.
The former Chelsea and Celtic striker – who now works as a pundit for BBC Sport – did not think that it was a great idea of England manager Gareth Southgate to deploy Dier at the heart of the defence against Belgium in the UEFA Nations League Group A2 game.
However, Sutton was not impressed with the 26-year-old giving away the penalty in the first half.
Sutton wrote in The Daily Mail: “Eric Dier at the centre of the back three was questionable. Romelu Lukaku is not known for his pace but he had the Tottenham defender beat when winning that penalty.”
Eric Dier’s performance
Dier is a versatile footballer who can operate as a midfielder or as a central defender.
The 26-year-old struggled against Romelu Lukaku in the first half and gave away the penalty, and late on, there was an issue with his positioning that saw Yannick Carrasco get a chance.
According to WhoScored, against Belgium, the Tottenham man had a pass accuracy of 94.3%, took 77 touches, and made one tackle and four clearances.
So far this season, Dier has played four times in the Premier League for Spurs, while during the 2019-20 campaign, he made 15 starts and four substitute appearances in the league and played five Champions League games, according to WhoScored.
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