Eric Dier needs to step up in the wake of the injury suffered by Tottenham Hotspur teammate Toby Alderweireld.
Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld suffered a leg injury against West Bromwich Albion at the weekend.
It is not yet clear how long the Belgium international centre-back will be out of action for, but given the pain he was in and the fact that he had to be stretchered off during the Premier League game at The Hawthorns on Saturday afternoon, it is likely that he could be on the sidelines for a few weeks at least.
Alderweireld is one of the best central defenders in the Premier League and has forged a truly brilliant partnership with Jan Vertonghen at the back.
The injury to the 27-year-old is a blow for Spurs, but it also gives the chance to Eric Dier.
| Competition | Passing Accuracy | Tackles Won | Interceptions Won | Ball Recovery | Headers Won | Outfielder Blocks | Effective Clearances | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toby Alderweireld | Champions League | 88% | 2 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 180 |
| Toby Alderweireld | Premier League | 82% | 6 | 11 | 41 | 10 | 7 | 44 | 8 | 690 |
Dier is one of the most talented and promising young English players and was brilliant for Tottenham last season.
The England international, who can play as a defender or as a defensive midfielder, has lost his place in the Spurs starting lineup this season, though.
However, the injury to Alderweireld hands Dier the chance to re-establish himself in the Tottenham team.
| Competition | Passing Accuracy | Tackles Won | Interceptions Won | Ball Recovery | Headers Won | Outfielder Blocks | Effective Clearances | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Dier | Premier League | 86% | 7 | 5 | 19 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 451 |
| Eric Dier | Champions League | 85% | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 81 |
During the 2015-16 campaign, the Englishman played largely as a holding midfielder, and he was superb in the role.
According to former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp, though, Dier has been earmarked as a centre-back by the club.
Back in June, Redknapp wrote in The London Evening Standard: “I like Dier — he has come on leaps and bounds and people at Tottenham tell me he is going to be an even better centre-back than he is a midfielder.”
Competition for places in Tottenham midfield is fierce at the moment, and perhaps Dier would be wise to focus on central defence for the time being.
It is time for Dier to prove Redknapp right and show what he is capable of at centre-back in the absence of Alderweireld.
If Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino deploys Dier in central defence against Bayer Leverkusen away from home in Germany in Champions League Group E on Tuesday evening, then the youngster should make the most of the chance.
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