Speaking on the Keys & Gray Podcast, Richard Keys and Andy Gray have been discussing England and their centre-back options.
Just months away from the World Cup, the Three Lions don’t seem to have a settled centre-back partnership or trio.
Harry Maguire is out of form, Kyle Walker is more of a right-back, Marc Guehi is only young and Fikayo Tomori hasn’t done it at international level quite yet.
Eric Dier has re-emerged as a centre-half option for Gareth Southgate in his recent squad selection, but Keys states that the Tottenham man isn’t good enough at the very highest level.
What’s been said?
Keys questioned Dier’s ability.
“I think there are fundamental problems there and at centre-back who are your centre-backs?” Andy Gray asked.
“I think it will end up being Dier, who at the very highest level isn’t good enough, most weeks at Tottenham he’s ok. I don’t fancy John Stones, you wouldn’t go into war with him would you?” Keys said.
Not a World Cup winner
As Keys says, Dier is a more than decent centre-back for Tottenham on a weekly basis, but let’s be honest, he’s not the type of defender who is going to win a World Cup.
Look at the last few World Cup winning squads, they all have one thing in common – a world-class centre-half partnership.
Be it Raphael Varane and Samuel Umtiti, Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels, Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique or Fabio Cannavaro and Alessandro Nesta. World Cup winners always have truly top-class centre-backs in their squad.
As good as Dier is, he’s not at the level of any of the aforementioned players, and ultimately the defence may be what costs England the chance of winning the World Cup.
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